The Consequences Of Our Actions
by PuttingPenToPaperx
Summary: Games can be all laughs and jokes until something happens. We all learn through consequences, but could that blossom into something more?
1. The Proposal

The rain had been consistent for nearly two days now and quite frankly, Tony was sick of it. He was all for little showers every now and then to freshen up life, but this was too much. Also, because of the inclement weather, not many people were in the mood for killing or kidnapping Navy personnel, not that anybody would wish for that, but now the entire day was filled to the brim with paperwork, filling out forms and wasting away the hours of his shift.

The Italian agent sat at his desk, feet propped up on the edge with his fingers interlocked together behind his head, his soft emerald eyes surveying the scene before him. In front of him was his partner, surrounded by forms and yet had that gorgeous relaxed expression across her features. Despite the horrible weather, the mere view of his partner working away brought a smile to his lips. Switching his gaze to his right, McGee was also sat at his respective desk, furiously typing away at his computer. A slow sigh of boredom left Tony's' lips as he then focused on the untouched paperwork which towered skywards on his desk. He couldn't face to get started on all those files which would just send him into another dimension of boredom. Deciding to have a little bit of fun, Tony pushed himself away from his desk, stood and crossed the bullpen towards where the Israeli sat. He crouched down beside her desk and, being the little child at heart, he nonchalantly opened her bottom drawer, rummaging around.

Within seconds, the Israeli noticed and swung her chair to face the Italian, "Tony! What do you think you're doing?"

"I need a stapler." Tony said simply, continuing to attempt to find this object before he felt a sharp pain in his finger, immediately drawing back. A small, little trickle of blood ran down his finger, ringing alarm bells in his mind, "What on earth do you keep in here?" Tony looked up, wide-eyed.

"Oh. That's where I keep my knife." Leaning down to her second drawer, reached out the desired equipment and handed to Tony, "You only had to ask," Ziva smiled sweetly, resisting the urge to laugh at Tony's surprise of her knife attack.

Letting out a small hmph, the Senior agent took the stapler and as he stood up, he paused to whisper something, "You, Miss David, are very cheeky…" His lips brushed softly against her ear, his breath warm as it cascaded down the curve of her slender neck. It was no secret that the two were into each other, and a little harmless flirting would never be a miss.

Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, Ziva let out a small chuckle at, what she took as, the compliment, "Not as cheeky as I could be…"

Tony's eyes sparkled at the words which flowed from her lips, an idea snapping into his mind, "Prove it." He said simply, insinuating a challenge within the tone of his voice. "If you say so, then prove it." Everybody knew how much tension there was between the two partners, most of it of some sexual nature, and this was the perfect opportunity to see just how far that tension could lead to. If Ziva accepted his challenge, the Italian would find it hard to resist jumping for joy; a day full of mini challenges would beat a day full of paperwork.

The Israeli considered her partners proposal, ideas already starting to pool in her mind, "Okay then," She whispered quietly in acceptance, leaning an inch closer to him, "But…no pranks which could end in harm, yes?"

Sighing dramatically, Tony stood up straight, playfully ruffling Ziva's hair before swiftly swooping out of her reach before he could receive a playful slap, "Fiiiiine," He drawled, in a slightly childish tone, "We'll just see who comes out on top," His eyes lit up immediately, lowering his gaze down to the woman sat before him, "Though I do remember that's how you like it,"

"Tony!" Ziva hissed quickly, "Just…go do your paperwork." It was like a mother telling her cheeky toddler to eat his vegetables, but Ziva would definitely prove to him how cheeky she really could be. There were so many possibilities and opportunities she could take advantage of, and having worked with him for nearly six year, the Israeli was well aware of all his weak spots, mentally and physically. Obviously, the way to get a DiNozzo to his knees was through something sexual, or at least something along those lines, but Ziva had a better plan, one which would take a little while to plan but it would pay off..for both of them.


	2. Fireworks

It was killing the Italian, but it got his heart racing. He had no idea what his partner may be planning to prove him that her opinion was right, but he knew exactly what she was capable of. At the same time, he had to come up with something which would prove her wrong, and wrong he would prove her. Once in a challenge, especially with his partner, he wouldn't back down without a good go. He had spent pretty much the last five hours of his shift planning a way to make this challenge much more interesting, without resorting back to his fraternity pranks which he used to pull in College. It was much harder than he thought; he couldn't act too quickly or it'd look like he was desperate, but if he acted too late then there was a high chance that Ziva would act before him. His mind was filling quickly with thoughts, varying in their nature, and picking one would be just as hard as picking between two movies on his movie night.

His emerald eyes glanced to the small clock in the bottom corner of his computer, a grin instantly appearing on his lips as he registered that the end of his shift had arrived, just in time. Standing, Tony grabbed his jacket, gun and badge, holstering the last two items at his hip before slipping his jacket over him so he'd be protected from the falling rain outside. As he bent down to grab his backpack which stood neatly beside his desk, his gaze wandered to his partner who was still working away, possibly oblivious to the time, "Staying behind, Zi?" He asked, swinging his backpack over his left shoulder, his fingers clutching on to its black strap to hold it in place.

"Just have a little bit more to finish up on," Ziva replied softly, her accented voice running like velvet. Quickly finishing a sentence, her big brown eyes looked up to the Italian as he prepared to leave, "You are in a hurry, yes? Date night?"

A soft laugh left Tony's throat, giving a small shake of his head, "Sadly not. I was supposed to be going out with some old college buddies, but they had to rearrange. Kinda good really, a quiet night it might not be such a bad idea."

Ziva offered a small, yet soft smile, "Hope you enjoy," Her gaze momentarily locked with his, and although she somehow found it hard to tear it, she forced her attention back onto her last piece of paperwork before she could make her way home. She could hear Tony's footsteps falling ever fainter as he left the floor, heading towards the elevator which would transport him down and out of the building. When Ziva knew she was safely out of his sight, she let out a deep breath, one she wasn't even aware she had been holding. That single moment where emerald and chocolate eyes had locked had made her heart soar, lit a fire deep within her stomach and all she could think of was that same moment years ago when they had been undercovers.

Admitting she felt something for Tony was hard, especially with her background. Ever since she was little, and living in the Middle East, her father and brother had told her that to have emotions for a co-worker was dangerous and not to be explored, but every time she had felt something for people outside of her line of work, nothing good had ever came of it. Michael, somebody she had trusted, was a prime example of her emotions leading her down the wrong path. Tony, on the other hand, she knew inside and out. His up beat personality was something she admired, and even though is incessant movie quotes were sometimes annoying, she secretly loved them. The two had been partners for years now, watched each other go through thick and thin and they'd always been there for the other, offering guidance when needed. Yes, as much as she was apprehensive to admit it, there was something there.

After a final ten minutes of finishing up her last file for the day, Ziva shut down the equipment at her station, gathering her things together before standing up from her desk. Just as she was about to leave, along with a few others from various floors, an item discarded on Tony's desk caught her attention. Wandering over, Ziva rolled her eyes as she picked up his wallet. _He must have forgotten it in his rush.._ She thought. If it had been something irrelevant she would have left it for him to find the next morning, but Ziva knew this was important and for that reason, she placed it in her jacket pocket with the intention of dropping it off on her way home.

Battling through the rain on the way to her Mini Copper, Ziva unlocked the vehicle as quickly as she possibly could, the heavy raindrops falling over her, her usually wavy hair going straighter as it became covered in the rain water. As the driver's door finally opened, the Israeli practically threw herself inside, sheltering herself from the storm. Throwing her things on to the passenger's seat, Ziva slid the key into the ignition slot and turned it, the roar of the engine soon sounding out. In her usual aggressive style, Ziva hit her foot on the gas, sending the car zooming forwards and onto the roads, which were far more slippery than usual but this didn't phase the Israeli.

It had taken Tony a little longer than usual to get home, but as soon as he had stepped into the comfort of his apartment, he was more than glad. He had changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and white vest shirt, which managed to cling to his torso perfectly. Heading into the kitchen, he scoured the produce he had in the refrigerator, deciding that he had earned a nice, cool beer. Flipping off the top, he took a quick swig, allowing the near ice cold liquid slowly work its way around his system, feeling the satisfaction instantly course through his body. Letting out a contented sigh, he made his way through his tidy apartment, heading towards the living room with the intention of watching some genre of movie. His attention was suddenly pulled away from the looming movie when he heard a knock at the door. "One moment!" He called, placing he beer down on a nearby table. He lightly jogged over to the front door, pulling it open without looking through the peep hole. "Ziva, what are you doing here? You're soaked…"

"It is still raining." Ziva commented plainly, reaching into her jacket pocket as she retrieved his wallet, "You forgot this, and I thought you might be needing it."

Tony smiled gratefully, taking his wallet from her, "Thank you. Come on in. I can't have you standing out there all soaking wet. I've got some towels you can dry off with and at least wait till the storm wears off."

Ziva shook her head, "I couldn't, Tony. I don't want to intrude. It's fine, honestly."

Rolling his eyes playfully, Tony took her by the hand, pulling her into his apartment, "I'm not taking that as any excuse. You'll catch a cold, and I'm not allowing that. Make yourself at home and I'll go grab you a towel."

Watching as the Italian wandered off in search of a towel, Ziva allowed a gentle smile to cross her lips as she looked around the space around her. Unusually, the apartment was rather tidy, something she hadn't particularly expected from a guy like Tony. Finding her way into the kitchen, her eyes caught sight of a notice board full of pictures and pieces of paper. Heading in its direction, she looked up, looking at the photographs which were pinned up. Some were clearly of Tony's family, College friends, even some childhood ones but the one which stood out the most was the photo in the centre. Ziva guessed it was about a six year old Tony with his mother, and the two looked so happy. With a gentle smile gracing her lips, Ziva turned round, only to bump straight into Tony who had clearly come to find her, "I'm sorry.." She apologised quickly, glancing up to him. "That's really sweet," She commented, gesturing to the notice board behind her.

Smiling, Tony glanced to the photos of his before returning his gaze back to Ziva, "Just a little something for family. It's important to us Italians."

"I can tell," Ziva said, her voice dropping in volume and tone as she was more taken in by the mutual look which had developed between them.

A small drop of rain slid down the Israeli's cheek and naturally Tony raised his hand, his thumb softly brushing the raindrop away. He'd done it without even a thought, but the added contact between them seemed to light a spark in the air separating them. He controlled the urge to grab her and pull her closer and consequences be dammed, but when he felt her warm, soft skin beneath his fingers, he no longer wanted to hold back. Heck, he had been holding back years and by now, the proposal he had made earlier had gone way out of his mind.

His palm cupped her cheek as he swiftly closed the gap between their lips, pressing his softly, tenderly to her own. He had expected a slap across the cheek but when that didn't come, a small smile etched over his lips. Purposely, it wasn't filled with passionate need, more of an emotion-filled, one which expressed his feelings perfectly. His free hand came up to caress her cheek softly in his palm, the feelings bringing memories zooming back in an instant. It felt like tiny fireworks were going off inside him, the sparks possible of lighting fires. Their lips seemed to fit perfectly against one another's, like two pieces of a jigsaw, a sure sign this was how it was supposed to be.


	3. How It's Supposed To Be

From the moment their lips had connected, Tony's heart had fluttered into a hurry, pumping his blood at what felt like a hundred miles an hour. Nearly six years' worth of bottled up emotions just simply poured out in that one kiss; he no longer wanted to keep what he felt cooped up inside. It'd been hard enough for five years, keeping it any longer would be near impossible. By now his free hand had found its way to res ton the small of her back, but regretfully, the need for oxygen had become far too much and the Italian slowly broke the kiss, his lips separating from her own. Their foreheads leaned together, eyes completely lost as the two partners took the brief moment to regain their breath. "I..I'm…" Tony stuttered, lost for words and wondering why he even needed to say anything. He wasn't sorry, the glint in his emerald eyes said exactly how he felt about what had just happened, ecstatic.

The Israeli raised her index finger, pressing it softly against Tony's lips in an attempt to silence him, "Don't say anything," Her usual chocolate brown eyes had seemed to have darkened, but her smooth voice remained ever the same. Instead of saying anything further, she leaned up once more, reconnecting their lips as her fingers tangled into Tony's soft, brown hair. This time, she allowed a little more passion and need to pass between them, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. A small shiver ran down her spine as she felt Tony's fingers invade the skin beneath her damp shirt, her body instantly reacting to this new contact.

It felt like time had just stood still, allowing the two partners their moment, their evening. Tony couldn't give a damn about any protocol or rules laid down by the agency they worked for; who were they to dictate who he could have feelings for? It seemed as if nothing else around them existed and everything was just completely focused on them. Their lips pressed softly against one another's, bodies slowly becoming closer until there was not an inch between them. The Italian's hands rested comfortably on Ziva's waist, the fabric of her shirt lightly covering the top of his fingers as he delicately traced small patterns on the soft, olive skin below. Playfully nipping at her lower lip, Tony parted his lips from hers as he started placing a gentle trail of feather light kisses along her jaw, continuing down her neck. Her skin tasted almost salty, something he clearly remembered from their undercover mission, a taste he would never forget. His teeth lightly grazed over her skin, his body now pressing up against hers as the Israeli leant back against one of the counters.

Without thinking, Ziva's nimble fingers toyed with the hem of Tony's shirt, entwining the fabric between her digits. Swiftly, she pulled the white shirt over Tony's head, discarding it beside her before immediately returning her lips to his own. The fiery passion which had evolved between them was hot enough to spark fires in every direction, their body heat becoming near unbearable as the two pressed against each other. It felt as if her stomach was doing summersaults, something which seemed totally alien to the Israeli; no other man had made her feel this way. Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt the sudden cold hit her bare torso due to the removal of her own shirt. He was a like a drug to her by now, something she couldn't shake off, not that she was complaining. She needed him, not just wanted.

Before the two were even aware of their actions, trails of discarded clothes scattered across Tony's apartment, leading them both into his bedroom. The Israeli lay casually over Tony's bed, her semi-naked body moulding perfectly into the mattress, her dark eyes gazing up at Tony as he hovered above her, his soft lips exploring her stomach, skilled fingers roaming freely along her inner thigh. She squirmed slightly beneath him, his incessant teasing sending her senses and emotions into over drive. He knew just how to get to her, and that's exactly what he was doing. Every contact, no matter how brief, sent new sensations flowing through her system. Her fingers traced softly over his muscular chest, tracing every inch possible, hopefully trying to distract herself from the urge to just throw all foreplay out the window.

Tony's lips latched on to the side of her neck, lightly pulling skin between his teeth in an attempt to distract his mind from the scorching fire in his lower half. All thoughts of work had been completely forgotten, nor did he ever want to bring them back. Shifting slightly, his hips bumped against hers, the added pressure sending his pulse into a frenzy, a primal groan slipping past his lips. Swiftly, his hand crept stealthily up her inner thigh, dipping his two fingers past the cloth of her panties, a grin easily pulling his lips as they bathed in her wetness, pulling them off.

The Israeli inhaled sharply, the unexpected contact causing her to wriggle beneath him, as if begging for more, "Tony.." she whined, her voice more accented with her Middle Eastern heritage, "...You don't half take your time," Impatience flowed in her voice, but with a hint of a compliment. The pressure he'd built up had made them both careless, shown by her hands fumbling to reach the elastic of his boxers before dragging them down, allowing him to kick them off.

A small chuckle passed Tony's lips, whispering, "Only for you," His words acted as a little distraction before he thrust himself into her core and grunted huskily. No matter how sexually experienced Tony was, nothing compared to this. There was so much feeling and emotion was behind it. Tenderly, their lips connected mutually, with neither taking any dominance over the other. Tony's fingers lightly lost themselves in her hair, his hand sliding down to rest on the back of her neck as their bodies pressed up together. It was that magical feeling he adored so much. Every touch he memorised as if it was suddenly going to disappear, locking every detail away in his memory. He playfully nipped at her lower lip, his movements within her altering in speed in order to tease her. The fire in his stomach burned like never before, the sensations sending his blood pounding in his ears, his skin feeling like it was on fire. Even the air around them rose in temperature, the aroma of their hot sex lingering around them.

The Israeli's ankles locked together, her stomach muscles tightening voluntarily. Nothing had ever felt _so_ good. Her lips pressed harder against his own as she raised her hips off of the bed slightly, forcing him deeper within her. A satisfied moan easily slipped past her lips, incoherent words falling out in a number of varying languages. "God, Tony…" she whispered, her voice much huskier than usual, her accent becoming far more noticeable. Every cell in her was screaming out for more and she did her best to satisfy the burning desire. She was ravenous for him, and the sensations he gave her implied he felt the same. Her muscles tensed and she smiled, feeling every movement he made within her.

Their hips crashed against one another's, a small, thin layer of hot sweat gathering between them. The Italian was completely lost in her, his thoughts jumbled in a mess, and the blood pounding in his ears made it completely irrelevant to try and sort them. He could tell both of them were close to reaching that point of no return, the point where white light blinded everything else. The tightness of her muscles around him were sending him teetering on the edge, and with a couple of hard thrusts, he felt a wave of utter satisfaction and pleasure wash straight over him as he released his hot, white juices.

Ziva screamed out in pleasure, her hips elevating higher off the mattress as she bunched the material in her fists as she came down from her high, the pleasure coursing through her body like ecstasy. Her breathing was all over the place, her heart beating so fast she thought it'd leap out of her chest, "Oh my God…" she managed to whisper as Tony collapsed beside her, his lips planting a small kiss on her shoulder. Mustering the energy to move, she rolled onto her side, facing her partner, "You..certainly don't exaggerate…"

Tony chuckled softly, quickly pressing his lips to her own, "I know," He said confidently, his classic DiNozzo grin easily dancing over his lips. His strong arms softly encased the smaller Israeli, offering warmth and comfort. Within minutes, he felt her smaller frame relax as her eyes closed, her breathing becoming constant in her new found slumber. He sighed contently as his eyes silently studied her, his heart seeming to swell with emotion. This, was exactly how it was supposed to be.


	4. What Lies Ahead?

_-Six weeks later-_

It had been the best six weeks of his life. It'd all started with a harmless little bit of flirting and the proposal of a little challenge and now, there weren't enough adjectives in the language to describe just how amazing the past two weeks had been with Ziva. Not only had the sex been out of this world, but everything had just been so much easier. Even at work, where they had had to conceal their emotions, there had been less tension between the two partners, although they had definitely kept up the sexual tension in the knowledge that they could relieve it after hours. It was beyond him how one night could change everything, and it wasn't just sleeping together; it was the fact that both of had let their emotions just flow freely. It was well known that Anthony DiNozzo was a bit of a player, and usually went out with a different woman each week and this was something he'd never really felt so strongly about but he could really see this...thing, actually going somewhere.

Life seemed so much better now that he wasn't bottling up any emotions and feelings and it definitely showed in the way the Italian behaved. He sat at his desk, the early sun shining through the window to his left, paperwork scattered over his desk. He already had a pile of finished files towered up on the edge of his desk, and thankfully, he only had a few more to go. A fresh cup of coffee stood within reach, small puffs of steam rising from its hot liquid contents. The Senior Agent had been there for quite a while, and now the later arrivals were dribbling into the work place. To his surprise, he hadn't seen his partner come in yet. Leaning back in his chair, his emerald eyes narrowed a little as stared across the bullpen at the Israeli's empty seat. By now, he knew her incredibly well, and for Ziva to be late in the morning was quite unusual. He considered ringing her just to check that she was alright, but he decided against it, figuring that it was probably just traffic holding her up. He would only take that action if her absence hadn't been rectified within the next half an hour.

Whilst time was on his mind, Tony had been so concentrated on his paperwork and filing that he barely heard the footsteps fall in to the bullpen, coming to a stop in front of his desk. It was only felt a small shadow cast over his desk did his switch his gaze from his paperwork to look up, seeing Ziva stood before his desk in complete silence. His eyes instantly locked with hers but something was different, almost uneasy. "Is everything alright?"

"We need to talk." Ziva said simply, her voice unusually quiet.

The difference in her tone only confirmed Tony's first suspicion that something wasn't right, and a gleam of worry shined in his eyes, "Is it important?" He questioned. When his partner answered with a nod, Tony stood from behind his desk, taking a few steps around the structure to meet her on the same side. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

"It would be best to," The Israeli replied, taking Tony by the hand as she led him to the elevator. Although it was a small space, it was perfect for two people to have a meeting without interruptions. As soon as the two were inside, and the doors had closed, Ziva pulled on the emergency break, bringing the elevator to an abrupt halt, the backup generator illuminating the room in a soft blue-ish light.

Swallowing softly, the Israeli turned to face her partner, though he was far more than that now. She could see the worry, the concern in his eyes and it made her feel awful. She hated being the one causing the all this new tension, but they'd never be able to leave this unspoken.

"Well?" Tony prompted, the feeling of not knowing almost becoming too much to bare.

A gentle sigh slipped past the woman's lips as her gaze dropped to the metal floor beneath them, "This was not supposed to happen and I know you probably don't want anything to do with it. Actually, it was probably my fault, well, our fault but it's okay if you don't want to. I understand. I just…" Her ramble stopped when she felt Tony's strong hands on her shoulders, forcing her eyes to meet his.

The senior agent scoured her expression in search of some sort of answer. Despite her ranting, he had no idea what she was referring to. Did she regret that past six weeks? "Ziva. I have absolutely no clue what you're on about. Just tell me."

Her heart began to race at his order, knowing that the words which were about to be voice would change everything. Keeping her eyes totally focused on his own gorgeous sea-green orbs, Ziva let out a quick breath before saying the words as quickly as she could, "I'm pregnant." It was like ripping off a band aid, aiming to be quick and painless but it turned out the words still gave as big a shock as when she had said to herself three days ago.

At first Tony thought he had misheard her, but once to words finally registered it felt like his stomach knotted, muscles cramping. He ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth as he let the implications run through his mind. Pregnant? His eyes soon turned back to his partner, "You're sure? Like…it wasn't a false positive?"

Ziva shook her head. The three tests she had taken all came up with the same result, and she couldn't doubt three same answers. "I'm sure, Tony."

Tony sighed slowly, the initial shock slowly leaving his system through the breath. This wasn't just about them now, it was a far bigger picture than he had ever imagined and he had to take that into account. "We forgot to use anything…" He stated obviously. There had been plenty of times where Tony had been in the same heated moments he had shared with Ziva over the past few weeks and he had still remembered protection of some form, but this time he forgot. This time of all times.

"Look, Tony, I understand if you just want to end this. I'm pretty certain a child was not on your agenda and I am perfectly fine to go through with this on my own and if you want have some contact or something…" Ziva was silenced by Tony pressing his finger to her lips, a look in his eyes which she only saw rarely. It was a look of utter sincerity, utter commitment. Each word she had spoken caused the realisation to sink in further, causing a few tears to well up in her big chocolate eyes. She managed to bite them back, not allowing such a situation to get to her so quickly.

"Listen to me. You will not, and never will be, alone in this. Yes, I know this is totally unplanned and we're both a little out of our comfort zone here, but doesn't that mean we can learn about this together? Whether you like it, our baby has a little bit of DiNozzo and that's not easy to handle. I will be there for you through all of this; appointments, scans, mood swings, everything. I know we can do this, somehow." Tony's voice was full of comfort, his eyes gentle as he slipped his hand down into hers, their fingers tangling together.

As much as his words comforted her, Ziva had to think pragmatically. Were they ready to take on such a responsibility? "Tony, what about our jobs? Neither of us have great connections and you know that past always catches up, and with a baby involved, I just don't think it'd be safe. I do not want to put such a heavy responsibility on you after only a few weeks." She argued as if trying to weigh out each view of the situation.

The Italian gently pulled Ziva into his arms, allowing her head to rest softly against his chest, "It'll be fine. I know it's not the greatest of times, but we can think this over, okay? I tell you what. You come over to mine this evening, I'll cook us something and we'll have a really good talk, alright?"

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Tony was right. Maybe she had dived into it far too quickly and gone straight to the worst possible conclusion. Neither of them was ready for a child, but that did mean they could go through it all together. Shifting in his arms, Ziva gave a gentle nod in acceptance.

"Good decision." Tony whispered quietly before leaning down, capturing her lips in a soft, tender kiss with no passion intended. The past six weeks had been fun and games, but now it was more than serious. Now, there were three.


	5. Afternoon sickness?

**Okay, guys, a BIG THANK YOU for the reviews; they really make me happy I know it's been a while since I have updated this story but exams have got in the way and blah blah blah. Anyhoo, I'd love to hear some ideas on where you'd like this story to go! I have a couple of ideas, but that's like for later chapters. I don't know why, but I always seem to plan the ending before the beginning. So, just message me with anything you may have in mind, and as always, enjoy! :D **

It felt as if an eternity had passed from the moment the two partners had been stood in the elevator to now, when they were sat at their respective desks. In fact, it had been just over a minute. Instead of focusing on the paperwork on his desk, Tony found his mind was unable to concentrate on anything apart from continuously drawing a figure of eight on a spare piece of paper. He still couldn't believe that that conversation had taken place, and now his thoughts and emotions were sky high. Of course he had meant every word he had told Ziva about him being able to support her and make sure that everything was going to be okay, but inside he was terrified. It was rare if Tony displayed any kind of fear, but this was at a whole new level, one he hadn't even given a thought to. _They were going to have a child._ No matter how many times he said it sub-vocally, the impact was still as strong as the first time those words had been said by the Israeli. At first it had just been a little bit of fun, with a few emotions mixed in, but now that had been blown out of the water and they couldn't let an innocent life be affected by that.

As his gaze lifted from his papers to look across the bullpen at his partner, Tony couldn't deny the smile which danced across his lips. Although it was going to be a hard few weeks ahead of them, there was something about their situation which made Tony feel like there was a glimmer of hope that this could work. Perhaps it was because he was starting to have feelings for Ziva, or perhaps their complimentary personalities and life styles would allow for things to work fine. Whatever it was, the two of them would have to bring that element to light and milk it of all its worth.

The sound of Gibbs' voice echoing around the room broke Tony's trail of thought, making his thoughts focus on less on his personal life and more on his professional life.

"Gear up. Dead Marine," Gibbs stated, walking briskly through the bullpen, heading towards his desk.

"Where we headed?" DiNozzo questioned, grabbing his black rucksack which sat patiently at the side of his desk, flinging its strap over his shoulder as he stood.

"Franklin Military School." Gibbs informed as he whisked past his employees, heading towards to the elevator.

All three fellow NCIS Agents were now equipped with badges, ID and their respective weapons, rucksacks full of various gear all on their backs. With McGee strolling through the bullpen in pursuit of their boss, the two partners were left slightly behind. The Israeli, with her razor observance skills, could see that their previous conversation had had a major impact on her partner, just as expected.

Throughout her life, Ziva had experienced a lot of major events, ones the everyday person couldn't even imagine, but she had been able to mask the emotions. This, however, was a completely different kettle of fish. There was no need to put up those barriers to stop her emotions from showing, mainly because even she wasn't sure what she was feeling. The image of that little blue line was engraved in her memory, but the feelings which had consequently followed were a blurry mix. There was happiness, worry, apprehension, and care but none of them seemed to be prominent enough for her to calculate the general idea of how she felt about their current predicament.

Stepping around from the corner of her desk, Ziva was only able to take one or two steps before she was cut off by her partner, her big brown eyes darting up to meet with his. She attempted to take this opportunity to try and work out what Tony was thinking, but his words soon distracted her.

"You're alright to go out in the field?"

"Of course." Ziva answered, almost confused by his question.

Tony's brown knitted together as he tilted his head to the side a fraction, "But what about the baby? Won't all this work be stressful, and shouldn't you be resting? I mean, can't exactly be beneficial,"

A small smile crept over the Israeli's lips, "We're going to a school, Tony, not a war zone. I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. Both of us will be," The words felt alien to her, that she was now speaking for two, but she could only hope that after the evening she and Tony would spend together, things would be simpler.

Letting a small sigh pass his lips, Tony had to agree and with a nod of his head, he stepped aside, allowing his partner to walk beside him. "But you'll tell me if you need anything, right? I know this isn't ideal, but I want to make sure you're alright."

Franklin Military school was exactly like it sounded; immaculately clean and kempt, students in pristine white uniforms and various members of staff, mostly ex-military, as their professors. A section of the building was taped off, uniformed officers standing on guard. As the NCIS team approached, one of the officers, six foot tall, black hair, stepped forward, assigning himself the authority to be in charge of relaying the information they had already.

"You must be NCIS," he commented, looking at each of the agents in turn before turning his attention to, who he assumed was, the team leader, "Agent Gibbs. The deceased is a professor, one Officer Ryan Carlyle. He was head of the military unit here. One of the students found him, he's in the next room. Pretty shaken up."

Gibbs nodded, beginning to delegate roles out to the various agents behind him, "McGee, get a statement. Ziva, DiNozzo, wait for Ducky and take the scene." After the orders had been given, the group dispersed, each agent going to fulfil the duty they had each been given.

The two partners headed down the hallway, turning at the first right into the scene of the crime, ducking under the yellow tape which had cordoned off the area. Tony quickly surveyed the scene as he held up the tape for Ziva, "They always said school was a dangerous place. It's like "Murder by Numbers", but that was a pretty bad movie. Wouldn't recommend it, but it could definitely happen here. Military style."

Ziva couldn't deny the smile which danced across her lips as Tony spoke, his clear passion for movies present in his tone. It was still beyond her how he could liken nearly every crime scene to some sort of movie, "Do I want to ask for a plot line?"

Tony chuckled lightly, "I'd wouldn't recommend that." He set his backpack down on one of the desks in the classroom, unclipping it at the top as he rummaged around for the equipment the two of them would need. He glanced over to Ziva, a gentle sigh escaping his lips. Her fingers clamped over the bridge of her nose, eyes closed as if waiting for something. "You alright?"

Quickly shaking the moment off, Ziva directed her gaze to Tony, offering a small smile, "Just a headache, it's nothing."

Fishing out a bottle of water out of his backpack, Tony took the couple of paces over so that he stood before the Israeli woman, "Have a drink. It'll help."

"Tony, it is fine," Ziva protested, shaking her head, "Just, sometimes morning sickness doesn't live up to its name. Honestly, don't…" She was soon silenced by Tony's index finger covering her lips.

"Just have some water. Please. Not only am I half the cause of this morning sickness, but I'm also your partner and therefore it's my job to look out for you. Now, as your Senior agent, you'll listen." He gave a gentle smile, once again offering the clear bottle of cold water.

Deciding to surrender, Ziva quickly unscrewed the blue coloured top, taking a swig of the water. When she'd finished, she handed it back to Tony, letting out a slow breath, "Thank you."

Quickly planting a kiss on her forehead, Tony smiled, "No problem. Now, you ready to teach our baby about crime scenes?"


	6. DiNozzos Do Traditional?

The light had begun to fade in the office, the last remains of the sun's rays shined through the window at the edge of the bullpen. Each agent worked furiously at their respective desk, finding out the information needed to piece together pieces of their current investigation. Any minute from now the team would run through its usual routine of relaying various bits of information to one another, hoping to form a bigger picture that before, one which was filled with far more detail and possible paths they could all take in order to find the perpetrator of the crime at hand.

DiNozzo's desk was covered in various sheets of paper from a number of different departments, ranging from medical, financial and military. For the past hour or so, the Italian agent had combed through every conceivable detail about the Officers' life, right down to the report cards he had from high school. With any kind of luck, when the time came, Tony would be able to slot the information he had together with material gathered by Ziva or McGee.

The job assigned to the Israeli agent was raking through phone records, both landline and cell, and also any recent credit card activity. Any areas of repeated activity would be highlighted and relayed back to the remaining members of the team, and perhaps a name could be put to that number or company.

On the other side of the bullpen, McGee allowed his eyes to focus upon the CCTV footage recovered from the school, paying particular attention to the time of the murder which had now been confirmed by Ducky. Looking out for anything out of the ordinary or unusual, McGee duly noted down the timings of any activity which was not expected inside a secure military school. So far, nothing had come up as interesting, but when the black and white tape was fast forwarded throughout the day, it became far more intriguing.

As usual, Special Agent Gibbs strolled through the bullpen, having come from the Directors' office, and addressed his fellow agents, "What we got?"

First, Tony stood from his desk, grabbing the controller for the screen so he could present the information he had to the rest of the team, "Officer Ryan Carlyle. Forty six years old, divorced with a seventeen year old son. Carlyle was honourably discharged from the military in 2008, having served two tours in Iraq and Baghdad, before he switched to teaching at Franklin Military." As he spoke, Tony pulled up the appropriate slides, highlighting the areas he was presenting, "Had one serious injury in 2007; bullet to the chest but after three weeks in Bethesda and physio, he was back serving. Nothing much of interest, until we get to his phone and credit bills, which I believe was…"

"…My job," Ziva announced, taking the controller from Tony's hand, bringing up the documents she had been researching. "There are the usual calls to banks, ex-wife and son but there is one number which continually crops up after March 2011. Having traced the number, and found out its owner, it is one Michael Dunne who is one of his students." The phone number and school profile of Dunne appeared on the screen, the number highlighted in a fluorescent green bar, its importance clear. "When compared to Carlyle's credit card bills, things get even more interesting. About a week after Carlyle called Dunne, two thousand dollars would be deposited into Dunne's account."

"Looks as if they were more than student and teacher," DiNozzo commented.

With a nod of her head, Ziva continued, "According to yesterdays phone records, Carlyle called Franklin Military and called in sick. So, it begs the question, 'why was he there?'."

McGee stepped forward from his desk after having tapped a few things into his computer, "Uh, well, he actually wasn't there all day." The junior agent pulled up the CCTV footage he had been reviewing, isolating a one hour period, "Carlyle arrived at two pm, having been authorised by security at the front," He fast forwarded the tape to twenty minutes, pausing it on the image of the hallway where Carlyle's classroom was, "At nearly half past two, Carlyle headed into his classroom, but ten minutes earlier, a student had gone in there alone,"

"Dunne?" Gibbs questioned, looking to the junior agent.

McGee lightly shrugged his shoulders, "The tape is of a too bad quality to get an identity for definite, but with height and uniform, it was not a teacher." Once again, McGee forwarded the tape, allowing it to play less than a minute later, "Since there is no sound, we don't know what was said in the room, and there's no CCTV in classrooms, but five minutes later, the student runs out and, assumingly, heads back to class."

Special Agent Gibbs stood in front of the screen, silently contemplating their next move. "Get some rest. We'll question Dunne in the morning,"

The team, especially Tony, didn't need that repeated. Working as an NCIS agent, or any job within government agency, was tiring and long work and days were mostly fuelled by caffeine rich coffee and the knowing that at the end of the day, home would be waiting for them; a place where paperwork didn't exist. Immediately dispersing, each member of the team went to their desks, gathering up the few items they regularly took home.

DiNozzo nearly raced to his desk, sweeping up his backpack onto the hard wooden surface of the structure. Unzipping the top of it, he placed his badge, gun and a few papers inside before closing it, securing the items inside. Picking up the heavier bag, Tony swung it over his shoulder, turning off the light which stood on the corner of his desk as he looked around the office which was now shorter of employees. His eyes soon drifted over to his partner's desk, a warm smile crossing his lips, "You want me to give you a lift?"

Ziva offered a smile in return, walking over to where Tony stood, only his desk separating them. Her big brown eyes looked up at him, "I thought you would never ask,"

A small chuckle slipped past Tony's lips, "Well, as I recall, we have a date tonight and since I'm hosting, it is traditional that I offer you a lift," He slid round the corner of his desk, giving a quick backward glance to make sure nothing had been left behind.

"I didn't know DiNozzo's did traditional…" Ziva mused quietly, the first remains of her smile still dancing effortlessly over her lips as the two partners headed over to the elevator.

Pressing the round, illuminated button on the side of the wall beside the metal doors, Tony lightly leaned his weight against the wall, his shoulder resting against its hard, orange surface, "Oh there's a lot you don't know about DiNozzo's, Zi. You may think we're movie-loving, charming guys, which is completely true, but there's a whole lot more to us,"

Ziva laughed, a sound which seemed to echo with content, "Well, I have a lot to learn," A 'ding' echoed above them, signalling the imminent arrival of the elevator. Sure enough, seconds later, the metal, silver doors slid open, exposing its empty contents to the agents. Stepping inside, Ziva spun around on her heel, pressing the button for the garage as Tony soon joined her.

His emerald eyes settled on his partner's slender form, his lips curling up into a gentle smile. As the doors slid together once more, his gaze soon met with hers, sending Tony's heart into a flurry. Everything was perfect and there was no need for any words to be said; their eyes said it all. Simultaneously, their hands joined together, their fingers lacing through each other's.


	7. Elephant In The Room

Sliding the silver key into the lock, Tony turned the small key to the right, the sound of bolts unlocking confirming that he and Ziva could now enter his apartment. Replacing the set of keys into his the pocket of his pants, Tony twisted the door knob to the side and, sure enough, the front door to his apartment opened. With a charming smile dancing over his lips, Tony stepped aside, allowing Ziva to step inside first, "After you,"

Ziva flashed a quick smile, the remains of a chuckle slipping past her lips, "Such a gentleman,"

As Tony himself stepped into his humble abode, he kicked the door shut behind him as he hung his black jacket up on the hooks which were nailed to the wall in three's beside the door, "Why of course." He clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms as he strode through the hallway, "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. What you say I get dinner going and we can talk over dinner?"

With a warm glow in her dark brown eyes, Ziva gave a soft nod, "That sounds great. And, may I ask what we are eating this evening?"

A cheeky grin crossed Tony's lips before his lightly planted a kiss on her forehead, "You will just have to wait and see, Zi," He shot a quick wink her way before turning on his heel, heading into the kitchen behind them. With all the work surfaces already clean and ready for food to be prepared on, it took Tony no time to retrieve the ingredients he needed for the recipe he had memorised in his mind. He'd cooked this dish what felt like a million times; simple but damn tasty.

With tomatoes, onions, pasta and chives laid out on the granite worktop, Tony soon set his Italian assets to work and, in the kitchen, was where they came alive. Effortlessly chopping the vegetables, he scooped up the pieces in the palms of his hands, dropping them into the hot pan over the stove.

Leaning in the door way, Ziva observed him dancing around the kitchen, putting his culinary skills into action. It was rare for anybody to see this side to Anthony DiNozzo and it was definitely a contrast to his usual college-boy attitude to life. She had to admit, seeing him like this was certainly something she could get used to. Stepping into the kitchen, she peered into the saucepan on the stove, "What's this then?"

"Can't you sit still for five minutes?" Tony joked, chuckling softly as he reached down two plates from the cupboard above him, setting them down on the work surface.

Ziva shrugged innocently, an easy smile slipping across her lips, "What can I say? Must be the hormones and besides, this little baby is desperate to have some food,"

As he stepped over to the stove, Tony lightly pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Go and sit down, I'm just about to serve up." Dishing up some cooked penne pasta and homemade tomato sauce on to each plate, Tony carried them both over to the dining table, placing them down, "Here we go. Parmesan pasta with a homemade tomato and onion sauce,"

Ziva smiled gratefully, admiring the plate of food which had been placed in front of her, "Wow, Tony, this looks great. I never knew you were so skilled in the kitchen,"

"There's plenty more to discover about me, Zi," Taking a seat opposite his partner, he tucked his chair in underneath him, picking up his fork as the two began to eat. Tony knew full well which topic was on both of their minds; it was just a question of how to bring it up. It was usually one of the most joyous topics for couples, but when their situation was incorporated it became a little more complicated. After having a forkful of food, Tony sat back a little in his chair, letting out a slow breath, "Guess we should talk about the elephant in the room, hm?"

A slight confused look slipped over the Israeli's features, "Elephant?"

Tony laughed softly, "The baby, Zi. This whole situation," Running his fingers through his short, brown hair, Tony allowed his gaze to meet with hers, "I really hate to ask this, Zi, but…do you want to keep the baby?"

In reply, Ziva gave a gentle nod, "Yes. I know that this was completely unexpected and unplanned, but I hope that it can work. We are both responsible adults and I am confident we can make it through this,"

Tony couldn't deny the smile which crossed his lips, hearing her words. He had always had a slight, tiny worry that parenthood just wasn't going to be an option in this kind of situation but Ziva was right; they were both responsible and they were more than capable of making the best out of the circumstances. " I know we can get through it, and, if you don't want to, there doesn't have to be a relationship attached to it. No matter what happens, I'll be with you every step of the way. It can be the middle of the night or day, I'll always be there for support. Every mood swing, doctors appointment, weird food craving, everything."

"What about our work?" Ziva asked. It was possibly one of the biggest hurdles the two of them would have to cross, mainly because it was so unpredictable and bringing a child into that kind of complex equation. "How are we going to tell Gibbs and the team?"

Honestly, Tony hadn't even given that a thought but it was one which had to be considered carefully, "Don't worry about that, I'll sort something out. I don't even know how many rules we've broken, but they can't exactly do anything drastic. I'll deal with Gibbs and Vance and all the rest, you just concentrate on keeping yourself and our baby well, alright?"

A small chuckle slipped past Ziva's lips, "We're really going to be parents,"

"We're going to have a baby." Those words meant the world to the both of them. It was a place the two never thought they'd be, and yet they were in it together. It still seemed almost unreal. They had so many hurdles to overcome, and consequences to face, but it'd only make their relationship stronger. Perhaps the surprise of it all would make their bond, as a family, even stronger than if it had been planned. Standing, Tony rounded the corner of the dining table, crouching down so his eyes were level with Ziva's gorgeous brown orbs, "This is a promise to you now, Zi. I promise that I will support you and our baby, through absolutely everything, and I swear to do whatever is in my power to protect you guys. You two are the most important people in my life,"

Smiling softly, Ziva lightly kissed his lips, her hand resting on his cheek, "Thank you. Really, you have no idea how much that means to me,"

Tony smiled warmly, his eyes glowing with excitement as he rested his hand on her still flat stomach, "Hey little DiNozzo," He whispered quietly, "Hope you enjoyed your first Italian meal. There's more where that came from," Sweetly, he placed a kiss over Ziva's stomach before turning his gaze up to meet with hers, his lips rising to soon meet with Ziva's, capturing the two of them in a soft, gentle kiss. The emotions rushing through his body were indescribable; it felt like his heart had swelled with joy and, quite honestly, these were some consequences neither of them would ever regret.


	8. Jumping The First Hurdle

"I got it, Boss!" McGee exclaimed, nearly shooting out of his chair with excitement, gathering all the attention from the remaining agents in the bullpen. To McGee, it had felt like he had been watching black and white CCTV footage for a lifetime, but after nearly two full tapes, he had finally found what they had all been looking for.

Gibbs, DiNozzo and Ziva all circled around the big screen beside Gibbs' desk, waiting for the imminent presentation by the junior agent. McGee grabbed the controller, pulling up a larger version of the footage he had previously been watching, pausing it at the right moment before he began his explanation, "These are the tapes from the corridor next to where our officer was killed," Pressing 'play', McGee fast forwarded to the point of interest, slowing it down to normal speed for the other agents to view. When a figure came running down the corridor shown on the tape, McGee paused it, giving a good, useful view of the suspected perpetrators face, "Following the tapes around the school, this guy is the one running around the time our officer was killed,"

"Name?" Gibbs asked, though it was more of a request.

McGee gave a small nod of his head, having that area already covered. With one press of a button, a passport scan appeared upon the screen before the agents, allowing McGee to, once again, explain, "Noam Ben-Zvi. According to his record, he's not a student at Franklin Military, he's ex-Israeli military and was here for one week,"

"Was?" Gibbs questioned, picking up on the use of the past tense.

McGee let out a sigh, bringing up flight and credit card records, "Ben-Zvi flew back to Tel Aviv yesterday evening."

"Well, that's helpful, Probie," Tony commented, rolling his eyes.

Turning on his heel, Gibbs took one glance up to the MTAC floor above them before striding confidently up the stairs, clearly heading to inform the director of this new, but challenging development. Jurisdiction wise, this was theirs but now nearly 9 time zones separated them from their killer. It had been weeks waiting for this breakthrough, and no hurdle was going to get in the way.

"Well, that was interesting," Tony commented sarcastically, perching on the edge of his desk, "Looks like a road trip's on the agenda,"

Ziva looked over to her partner, "You think we will have to travel?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders lightly, "I'd imagine so. You know how fond we are of Tel Aviv, Zi." He gave a sarcastic chuckle, sliding his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sure we won't have to go to Tel Aviv, Tony. It's out of our jurisdiction, isn't it?"

"Nope. It happened on our soil, McProbie, so it's our jurisdiction. Whether we have to fly out or not is up to Vance up there." Tony gestured over his shoulder to the Director's office.

McGee shrugged his shoulders, "Anyway, I'm going to take these tapes down to Abby, help her clear up the quality. We should be able to see where exactly Ben-Zvi is, whether any transactions have been made and, if we do fly out, we'll know more." Grabbing the CCTV footage tapes he had been trailing through, McGee offered a polite smile before heading through the bullpen on his way to Abby's laboratory.

Stepping in front of Tony, Ziva looked up to his, her eyes meeting with his. "You really think we're going to have to go?" She questioned, her tone almost weary. The past couple of weeks between her and Tony had been near perfect and the two of them had got on better than ever. Perhaps parenthood had brought then closer than anything else ever could.

Allowing a warm smile to slip across his lips, Tony gently slipped his hand into hers, his fingers sliding through her own, "I think we'll have to, but if we do, I want you to stay here. By the time we have anything sorted, especially with the difference of opinion from each country, things will get a little more dangerous and I can't put you through that."

Touched by his caring gesture, Ziva still lightly shook her head in protest, "Tony, as much as that's incredibly sweet, you know I will have to go. With my connections it will be far easier for me to come with. I know you are worried about the baby, and so am I, but I promise I won't get into anything I can't handle."

Tony knew he would never win that easily. If you didn't know Ziva David was stubborn after an hour of knowing her, you were never going to get very far. Over the years, it had almost become traditional to have a small debate before trying to persuade Ziva to do anything. "Listen, Zi. Who knows how long we'd be there for? I mean, you're nearly three months gone now, and…I don't know, I'm just not comfortable with you going out there when we still have such a long way to go."

Letting out a gentle breath, Ziva absentmindedly playing with his fingers, "You will be there too, so if anything does happen, it is not like you will miss out. Besides, nobody even knows we are together or about the baby, so that is something we will have to get through first. It's getting harder to hide,"

"And I've said that I'll handle that little issue, right? So don't you get all stressed out about it. You don't need to be stressed at all,"

A small chuckle escaped her lips, her brown eyes quickly glancing around the bull pen, "Yeah, except for the appointment we have tonight,"

Tony couldn't deny the grin which crept across his lips. He had been looking forward to it all day, and he could barely contain his excitement. "How can you be stressed about that? Its a few little, routine tests and we actually get to see our baby! How cool is that?"

"I know, it is pretty exciting. It's just…" Ziva's eyes glanced upward, her senses picking up a change. Seeing the director head out of his office and onto the floor above them, giving a perfect view of the bullpen, Ziva dropped his hand, taking a small step backwards thus eliminating any chance of it looking like a red light situation. Before she could even explain her sudden changes to a rather confused looking Tony, the Director spoke.

"Special Agent DiNozzo," He addressed, catching Tony's attention in an instant, "A word, please,"

Tony visibly swallowed, shooting a quick glance to his partner before swooping around his desk, lightly jogging up the stairs to where the Director stood above him. Walking down that stretch of carpet always reminded Tony of 'walking the Green Mile' – perhaps one of his favourite movies ever. Only difference was, people in that particular movie knew what was at the end of that mile, and Tony didn't.

Following the Director into his office, Tony passed Gibbs on the way, indicating this was for his ears only unless Gibbs had was already informed and briefed. Once in the cosiness of Vance's office, Tony closed the door politely.

"Take a seat, DiNozzo," Vance offered, gathering a sand coloured folder off of his desk.

"What's up?" His informal use of language was permitted; something which even the Director of such an agency had become accustomed to.

Taking a seat beside the Senior agent, Vance laid out the folder which he had retrieved, placing it so both men could equally look at and analyse it, "Tomorrow, the team will be flying out to Tel Aviv. This is Michael Aaronov, high ranking in the Israeli Military and close connection to Mossad. Your job, DiNozzo, is to work with Aaronov and closely with Mossad to gain access to Military records on Ben-Zvi."

"What, like an undercover?" Tony questioned, feeling slightly sceptic about where the conversation was leading. He had half expected to go abroad, but working closely with the Israeli version of MI5 wasn't really on his agenda.

Vance shook his head, "They have already been informed and expecting the team at Ben Gurion airport at five in the evening tomorrow. From there, you'll be settled into on base accommodation and start work in the morning,"

Tony couldn't help but laugh, whether it was out of nerves or apprehension, he wasn't sure. "And you really think I'm the right guy to do this? Me and Mossad don't really have that good of a friendship, Sir. I mean, Eli maybe Ziva's dad but I put bullets through his officer, screwed up his mission and got his daughter pre…" Tony stopped before he continued, but he knew by the confused look in the Director's eyes, that he had gone had said too much.

"Excuse me, DiNozzo?" Vance asked, clearly intrigued by the Senior agents sudden halt of words. "Is there something I need to know?"

Tony stood, knowing there was no way out of the office unless he told the truth. This was what was at the end of his Green Mile. Standing, Tony sunk his hands into his pockets, pacing up and down as he tried to gather words in his head. It was simple enough to say, but in front of the Director it felt like he had to complete a marathon. Turning to face the waiting Director, Tony let out a slow breath, "Special Agent David and I are…together. We've been seeing each other for about three months,"

At first Vance didn't react, knowing that there was far more to this than DiNozzo was letting on. Instead, he simply leaned back in his chair, "Go on," he prompted.

"After about six weeks, we found out that Ziva's pregnant. We're the only ones who know and we were going to try and keep it that way for a little longer, but clearly not," Tony went quiet, readying to face the consequences of this revelation. He was still so excite at the prospect of being a father and being totally smitten, but he hadn't given a thought to the repercussions of their situation at work, or on the agency.

Vance silently went through the options, attempting to re-evaluate the new situation which had come about. Standing too, he gathered the file off of the table, turning his attention to DiNozzo, "You may leave," He said politely, unable to give a full opinion on the matter at hand in that present moment.

Tony simply nodded, turned and pulled open the office door. Before taking a step out, Tony twisted, facing the Director, "May I just make one request?"

Vance gave a rather reluctant nod, but allowed the agent to continue.

"Can you keep Ziva here? She shouldn't fly out to Tel Aviv." Giving one final look, Tony stepped out of the confides of Vance's cosy, professional office, releasing a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. He could feel his heart racing, his thoughts soon catching up to such a speed, and as he headed back down the stairs, he battled with himself as to whether inform his partner of the new developments. When the two locked eyes and that gorgeous smile slipped across the Israeli's lips, all Tony could do was return the smile, leaving those words unsaid and silent.


	9. Lemon And Lime

It had been thirty minutes since plane tickets dated for the next day had been placed on each agent's desk, and regardless of his request, that included Ziva's. As Anthony DiNozzo stared at the plane ticket, which sat quite innocently on his desk, the words printed on it brought the facts home much clearer than ever before. It was quite a simple concept, but it was proving hard to get his mind around it and since only he and Vance knew what happened in the Director's office, it was becoming more and more of a battle than he ever expected it to become.

Tel Aviv, although a beautiful place, was a city which held rather a high number of memories, ones which would be preferred to be forgotten. Nothing was ever simple when the team went abroad, and the not-so-great relationship with the two agencies was surely going to make things more difficult than usual. Clearly, Tony's request had been rejected, which meant that his earlier revelation to the Director didn't go down particularly well. Rule twelve was clearly taken rather seriously.

"You ready?" The familiar, accented voice of his partner nearly startled Tony, causing his eyes to shoot up, meeting hers.

"Huh?" He questioned, feeling as if he were on a completely different planet. He knew it had been the right decision to keep his mouth shut about what had happened, but it sure threw his concentration into next week.

"Are you ready to go? We have an appointment to get to," Ziva explained, her observant eyes watching as her partner managed to come back to reality after spending a while in his own world. As of yet, she hadn't inquired as to what Vance had wanted, but it was clearly something of importance and something which had affected DiNozzo in quite a way. The whole building was used to a cheery, flirtatious, movie-quoting agent but for the past hour or so, it was as if he was a different person. Still, Ziva refrained from delving into it, for now.

Just the mention of the appointment the two of them had made caused a small smile to tug at Tony's lips, pushing the negative thoughts out of his mind for the time being. "Of course I am." Scooping up his backpack, he threw it over his shoulder before grabbing the plane ticket off of his desk, ignoring the thoughts that it usually induced. He offered a warm smile as the two headed over to the elevator. To any other agent who was still at work despite the reasonably late hour, it was just two partners leaving work, possibly to have a drink or a chat now that the shift had finished. Not even close.

Pressing the button to summon the elevator, Ziva waited patiently beside her partner, silently watching him. She battled with herself to ask if everything was alright, wanting to know what was on his mind but not wishing to go into things which were perhaps not her business. As the silver doors opened, she stepped inside, hitting the button for the garage as she leaned against the back of the elevator. The initial jolt of the elevator as it began its descent allowed a few moments for them to talk. Flicking her gaze to Tony, Ziva let out a quick breath, "Is everything alright?"

The break of silence was a big relief, but Tony still felt a tang of guilt. Any normal day he'd be skipping with joy at the fact that in less than an hour he'd be finding out all kinds of interesting facts about their baby, and he was sure that that would be the case very soon, but the constant thought of travelling away in the morning and the uncertainty of what Vance would do about their situation caused him to be more wary about their circumstances. "Yeah, 'course it is. Why?"

"You seem…distracted," Ziva commented, turning her body so that she faced him properly. "What happened?"

Tony smiled gently, pressing his lips to her temple, "It's fine, I promise. Let's just focus on this little one here, yeah?" Softly, he placed his hand over her stomach, his smile broadening. The _ding_ of the elevator signalled that the doors were about to open, and when they did, the couple walked out into the garage with their footsteps echoing around them. Fishing out his car keys from his pocket, he unlocked the car and the headlights flashed, illuminating the space for a brief second.

Within a few moments, both agents were in the car with their seatbelts on and, with Tony at the wheel, were well on their way to the local clinic. It seemed almost surreal that just two months ago, both of them were scared out of their minds about what to do and now, these kind of procedures had almost become second nature. Parenthood was something that was never certain, particularly in the profession the both of them had, but with each of them leaning on one another they knew things would only get better.

Having missed all the rush hour traffic by a few hours, Tony managed to pull up at the clinic within half an hour of having left work. Turning the key in the ignition, the usual roar of the engine came to a slow stop and both agents stepped out of the car, pushing the doors behind them. The building before them was small, almost homely and was one which would answer so many questions, bringing smiles without a shadow of a doubt.

Despite the irritating thoughts of what the next week had in store for them, Ziva couldn't deny the smile which teased her lips. Knowing that the next hour or so was going to be overwhelmingly amazing filled her stomach with butterflies and as the two walked up to the automatic front doors, Ziva easily found Tony's hand with her own, lacing their fingers together.

The inside was what one would expect from any clinic; the walls were painted an off-white colour with various posters and medical advertisements pasted on the walls. Beside the waiting area was a small area with a carpeted floor which was covered in boxes full of children's toys and books. Despite the late hour, there were still quite a few couples who had arranged to see the medical staff, about ten seats taken up in the waiting room.

Glancing up to Tony, Ziva offered a gentle smile, "I'll go sign us in," Releasing his hand, she headed over to the reception desk on the left side of the room, giving her details to the woman on the other side of the desk.

Meanwhile, Tony stood, eagerly studying the various posters on the wall. One in particular caught his eye, causing a warm, fuzzy feeling to build up in the pit of his stomach. He read happily about the various facts and stages a baby went through during the entire pregnancy. Of course he knew the vary basics, but when it was about your own child it was so much more fascinating. His emerald eyes seemed to sparkle as he absorbed every piece of information, treasuring each word. There was just so much to look forward to, and being able to spend that with somebody he loved, his best friend, his partner made it even more indescribable. Wait, had he just admitted he loved her? He'd known all along that his feelings were unlike anything he'd had before, and now that he thought about it, perhaps 'love' was really the only way to describe that.

"Hey, Zi! Come take a look at this!" Tony said excitedly, beaming. When Ziva joined him by his side, Tony immediately started pointing out facts he had learnt in the short amount of time, "Our baby's the size of a lime already!"

A small chuckle slipped past her lips, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach, "Really?" Ziva replied, almost in disbelief as to how quickly that time had gone.

"Yeah, and he or she is learning how to move." Nothing could break Tony's smile. He felt like a kid in a candy store whenever he was learning anything about their baby. Anything to do with their child instantly made him smile, and he was more than proud to call himself a father-to-be. "Our little one sure is growing fast,"

"Perhaps a little too fast," Ziva joked, "We only have five months to go and we have a lot of things to plan."

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Tony smiled warmly, "And we'll get it all done in time. Both you and I will be allowed some time off where we can do all that stuff."

A door to their right opened, revealing a young doctor, dressed in the traditional white overcoat which had her name tag pinned to the breast pocket. With a clipboard in hand, she scanned the piece of paper attached before calling out the name, "Ziva David,"

The mispronunciation of her last name was something Ziva had become accustomed to and she no longer bothered to correct it. Instead, she turned and headed down the hallway to meet the doctor, Tony following closely behind after being torn away from the intriguing poster. Heading into the examination room, which was marked 'A', Ziva politely smiled and shook the doctor's hand.

"I'm doctor Christine Richards, it's wonderful to meet you both," She said, smiling as she introduced herself, "You must be Ziva and, you must be Anthony,"

"The one and only," Tony replied, grinning.

"Well, today I'll be taking some routine blood samples to make sure everything is in check with you, and then we'll do an ultrasound to make sure your baby is developing properly," As Dr. Richards explained the schedule, she placed down the various medical forms on the table which was placed at the side of the room, pulling on a pair of white latex medical gloves, "Have you experienced anything out of the ordinary as of yet?"

Hopping up onto the bed in the middle of the room, Ziva lightly shook her head, "Well, morning sickness just happens to occur throughout the day but, no, nothing out of the ordinary," Being more than used to having blood samples taken, Ziva rolled up the right sleeve of her shirt.

Setting the needle and syringe down in a sterilised dish, Dr. Richards offered a smile, "Well, having looked at your records, the morning sickness should subside a little from now on. But if it does persist or you think something is wrong, then don't hesitate to call." Taking the needle into her hand, the doctor expertly found the vein needed, "Sharp scratch," she warned before gently pressing the sharp needle into Ziva's arm, drawing the small amount of blood needed to run the necessary tests. Once the procedure was done with, she offered a bud of cotton wool to stop the minimal bleeding. "I'll send this off tonight, and we should have the results in by the day after tomorrow. I'll usually call with results, but if something does occur, then you may have to come in,"

"Uh, we're not exactly here as of tomorrow," Tony stated, glancing to Ziva for a brief second, "We have to fly out of the country tomorrow but we're not quite sure when we'll be back,"

Dr. Richards nodded understandingly, "Okay. I can ask one of the administrative staff to e-mail the results, but when you do return, we will have to have a check-up especially after long-haul flights." Removing the white latex gloves, she placed them into the disposable waste bag in the corner of the room, "Right, Ziva, could I get you to just lay down and lift up your shirt please. We'll just do a few routine checks to make sure the baby is doing well. You are sixteen weeks gone, correct?"

Swinging her legs up as she lay down, Ziva nodded in affirmation as she rolled up her shirt which revealed her stomach, now with a small bump. "Yes, sixteen,"

"Okay, then the next couple of weeks will be full of changes. At the moment, you're going into the second trimester, so morning sickness should mostly subside and the baby will grow a lot quicker than it has been doing up to now. By now, the baby should be about seven centimetres in length or…"

"The size of a lime," Tony interjected, grinning. "Or a lemon, if that's your kinda thing,"

The doctor simply laughed, nodding in concurrence, "Yes, about that. I see our posters clearly work on fathers-to-be," Grabbing the sonogram wand and the gel needed, Dr. Richards set everything up before turning her attention to Ziva, "This will be cold, but only for a few seconds," Squirting a golf ball size of gel onto Ziva's stomach, the doctor gently moved the wand over the Israeli's stomach and soon all eyes turned to the image on the screen.

Without any hesitation, Tony linked his hand with Ziva's, his grin easily transforming into a gentle, fatherly like smile as he watched in awe at the little picture on the screen. It was hard to deny the small amount of tears which welled up before him emerald eyes; he had never seen anything so tiny and yet so perfect. The sound of their baby's strong heartbeat echoed throughout the room, sending waves of emotion flowing over the both of them.

"Well, everything looks fine. Nice, strong heart beat and growing well. The baby is a little bit smaller than we would have liked, but that is nothing to be concerned about, I am sure it will catch up over these next few weeks." The doctor reported happily.

Ziva's eyes glistened in amazement; how could such a tiny little, innocent being move her to tears? It was unreal to think that in five months' time, they'd be meeting their baby. Turning to Tony, Ziva smiled brightly, letting out a happy, relieved breath, "That's our little baby," she stated obviously, but with such excitement.

Pressing a soft kiss to her lips, Tony leaned his forehead against hers, "Our baby, and our future," he whispered softly, simultaneously giving her hand a gentle squeeze as their fingers laced together.


	10. Question Marks?

"I can't believe this is really our baby," Tony held the sonogram picture in his hands, gazing at it in absolute awe. Inside he felt like a kid in a candy store, bursting with excitement. He felt like he wanted to rush out and get all the baby things they would need; a crib, clothing, toys, everything. He knew it was still quite a few months before they could do that, but he could hardly wait.

Stirring her mug of hot tea, Ziva leaned against the kitchen counter, bringing the rim of the mug to her lips, "Pretty amazing, huh?" Taking a sip of her tea, Ziva let out a content sigh. "I can't believe that he or she is so tiny and in just four weeks our baby will be twice that size,"

"Oooh! When do we find out the sex?" Tony asked eagerly, grinning like a little child who had just been told school was cancelled.

"Possibly at twenty weeks, depending on whether this little one has moved into the right place, but that's only a possibility," Maternally, Ziva placed her hand over her stomach, the corners of her lips turning upwards into a smile at the feel of her small bump, "But I suppose being half DiNozzo, I'm guessing doing things quickly isn't really on our little one's agenda, so it might have to wait,"

Tony laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "This little DiNozzo might just surprise you, Sweetcheeks," His hands casually rested on her waist, his gaze locking with her own, "Besides, surprises are kind of what these past few weeks have all been about,"

Placing her mug behind her on the counter, Ziva loosely hung her arms around Tony's neck, "And the next few weeks as well. Not particularly sure that international flights were on our to-do list," Her gaze dropped slightly, thoughts about heading back to her home nation, and all its memories, causing a worrying feeling of doubt to form, "It will not be pleasant, you know,"

"I'm more than aware of that, but try not to think about it too much. I know it's going to be hard, and I'm still reluctant to let you go, but it should only be for a couple of weeks," Tony lightly trailed his fingers through her hair, cupping her cheek in his palm, "We can tell Gibbs and the rest of the team about this before we leave, and that'll relieve us of one issue, right?"

"Actually, Tony, could we not tell them just yet?" Ziva asked, hopefully. She knew that it was going to be something they would both have to do sooner or later, but there was just one thing holding her back from doing it sooner. She knew there was something, but she couldn't quite isolate what it was. Perhaps it was because of the possible consequences, or maybe the uncertainty of what would happen, or perhaps it was just not the time but there was definitely a feeling in her gut which warned her to be careful of who, how and when they told the truth.

Thinking back to the meeting which had taken place between himself and the Director a few hours previous, Tony sighed. He had known how strongly Ziva felt about not telling anybody, and he had always wanted to respect that, but now he was holding back information which he couldn't keep a secret any longer. He felt awful, guilty even, about revealing it, but he had to tell her the truth. Honesty was always the key to moving forward, and when a baby was involved, steps backwards were not an option, "Ziva, there's something you should know,"

"What is it?" Ziva tilted her head to the side, looking up to her partner. A million and one things rushed through her mind, only hoping that he wasn't about to admit to one of the negative ones.

Releasing a deep breath, Tony gathered his thoughts quickly, figuring out what he was going to say. "Earlier, when I was talking with Vance, the subject of you and I came up. Somehow I managed to slip in that you were pregnant. Nothing much was said about it, and after that, I left but Director Vance knows about us and also that we're having a baby,"

Taking in his words, Ziva just shook her head, sipping out of the embrace of his arms. "How could you not tell me this?" She stood with her hands firmly placed on her hips, her big brown eyes directed clearly at Tony. She felt almost betrayed that he hadn't told her before, and the fact that honesty was supposed to play a big role in their relationship made matters worse.

"I-I didn't want to worry you before the doctor's appointment. It just slipped, I wasn't planning on telling anyone and I wouldn't have since you don't want anyone to know yet. I'm sorry, Zi, but I just thought…I don't know, that it was best not to tell you before now," Tony knew he'd hurt her, and it felt like their whole world was just crumbling before them simply because he hadn't told one thing.

"You know we're supposed to be honest with one another!" Ziva's voice involuntarily raised in volume slightly, her emotion starting to crack in her tone.

Tony sighed, leaning against the worktop, "I know, and I've told you now, haven't I?"

Ziva scoffed, shaking her head as her gaze lowered to the floor, "Don't, Tony. You told the Director of our agency, but some of our closest friends don't even know. I can't believe you'd not tell me,"

"This is just your hormones talking now," Tony muttered, pushing his fingers through his hair.

"Oh well I'm sorry for being pregnant, Tony!" She replied, throwing her hands up into the air in protest, "Sorry this is such a pressure for you! Not like you have to deal with carrying this child around for the next six months,"

Pushing himself off the counter, Tony paced up and down a small area of the kitchen, his hands shoved into his pockets, "Oh, so this is my fault now?" His eyes narrowed, the realisation that they were heading towards a full blown argument not even entering his mind.

"Well, yes! This could hardly have happened without you. Mind you, with your track record, I'm surprised it didn't happen before this."

Tony laughed, a sound which would echo proudly in a hall, "Wow, Ziva. You might want a little life lesson here; it takes two to make a baby, so this is _our_ doing, not just mine. We said that we would stick together through this, and you know that I meant every word of that. I'm sorry that I slipped, but they have to know sometime! You heard what the doctor said, and it's just going to get harder to hide."

"If this was any other woman, you would have run a mile by now!" Ziva shouted, throwing hand gestures all over the place. Her Middle Eastern accent became much thicker as she argued her point. "What's so different about this, hm? You could have walked out from day one, but you didn't. Why, huh?"

"Wow, your hormones can be a bitch! You know damn well why I didn't walk out. We promised to stick together on this. None of this was ever planned, and I said that I'd stick by you no matter what," Tony spat back, resisting the urge to finally tell her why he had actually, truly stayed.

Ziva's lips fell slightly apart at his words. They'd certainly hit a nerve, one which twisted and contorted in unusual ways. Swallowing hard, she bit back her emotions, just giving Tony a pained look. Somehow, she managed to prevent the tears which had threatened to fall onto her burning cheeks. "Well if this is sticking together, then I don't want to know about it," Briskly walking past Tony, her shoulder brushing against his, she headed for the front door. Her hand had just latched onto the door handle when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Ziva, wait," Tony pleaded, getting her to turn to face him. One look in her eyes made him realise how wrong he had been, and how much upset his doing had caused. "Please, don't end this. I'm sorry for what I did and all that was said back there. I truly am,"

Blinking back the tears, Ziva just quietly let out a deep breath, somehow managing to bring her anger back down, "You lied to me, Tony," she stated simply but softly. "How much longer would you have kept that a secret unless we'd talked tonight?" Shaking her head, Ziva twisted the door handle, pulling open the front door to Tony's apartment, "I just need some time to think. I guess I'll see you at the airport," Giving one final look back, Ziva stepped out, closing the door behind her.

The sound of the door hitting the frame felt like a bullet slicing through his chest. The day had been near perfect, rounded off with a wonderful, successful doctor's appointment, and then all that came smashing down due to one tiny detail. It was as if Tony could physically feel the question marks hanging over their relationship. Suddenly, the question of whether their relationship could sustain the weight of those question marks was more difficult that first expected.

**A/N :- aww, okay, I was a little iffy about writing this chapter but then, every couple argue. PLEASE tell me what you think, and I'm also open to any ideas So, **_**review, review, review!**_


	11. Three Little Words, Like It Or Not

**04:57.** The red numbers glared at him, reinforcing the ridiculous hour that it was. Tony had barely slept, the words which had been said, or rather yelled, just a few hours previous echoing in his ears. He was well aware that he and Ziva had their differences, but regardless of how long the two had known each other, they had never argued like that before. His tired eyes stared up at the ceiling as he silently went over the events in his mind, still unable to grasp exactly how it had got so out of hand. All he had wanted to do was to try and keep things stable, for him to take over the stressful responsibility of telling everybody and dealing with those consequences but perhaps keeping such a secret had wrecked the magic which had once been present.

_God, I'm such an idiot!_ He scolded himself mentally, trailing his fingers through his messy bed hair. If only he had just been straight and tried not to be the hero, then maybe question marks wouldn't be hanging over their relationship. What if the two weren't able to move past this? What if they wouldn't be able to raise their child together and they'd be like one of those divorced couples who just shared their child? That couldn't happen. At the start he had made a promise and DiNozzo's didn't break promises. He completely accepted that this, his family, was his responsibility and he wasn't going to let one argument put that future in jeopardy.

Ignoring the early hours of the morning, Tony swung himself out of bed, changing into something reasonably smart but which was also comfortable enough for the long haul flight ahead of them. His bag was already packed for their overseas trip, containing all the necessities he'd need for however long the team were going to spend abroad. Scooping the khaki coloured bag up into his hand, he swung it over his shoulder and, on the way to the front door, grabbed his car keys. He only had about two hours before their flight was due to depart, leaving him only about an hour to try and patch things up. Leaving no time for coffee or breakfast, Tony pulled open the front door, giving a quick scan of his apartment to check he had everything before he stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him.

Thankfully, the streets were reasonably quiet; the light rain and early hour putting most citizens off wandering outside. With his eyes focused entirely on the road, Tony took the silence inside his car to gather his thoughts. How was he ever going to make things up to Ziva? He knew that he'd said some pretty mean things, things which he never meant to say, but he couldn't turn back the clock no matter how hard he wanted to. All he could hope for was that the two partners would be willing to forget about it and move on before they headed overseas, which is where they'd run into the real problems. Hiding it from Gibbs was hard enough, but when they were all going to be in such close proximity for weeks, working with Mossad and therefore, Ziva's father, it was going to be twice as hard.

By the time Tony had pulled his car over to the kerb, the light rain had turned into the beginnings of a torrential downpour, causing Tony to run inside Ziva's apartment building for shelter. Shaking off the rain which had managed to soak his hair, he started his ascent of the staircase which lead up to her apartment. Soon, Ziva's front door came into view and the knowledge of what could possibly happen next caused Tony's heart rate to increase a little, a release of adrenaline coursing through his system. Taking a deep breath, Tony raised his hand, lightly knocking on the door.

With it now being nearly half five in the morning, Ziva had been up for quite a while, making regular and precise checks as to what she had packed for their trip abroad. 'Trip' was definitely putting it lightly. Somehow, she had managed to focus her mind on what was going to happen over the next few weeks, how she'd handle being back in her home town and, most importantly, how she would reveal to her father that she was with child. There were so many reasons as to why this situation would be unacceptable in her father's eyes. Placing a hand over her stomach, Ziva let out a slow breath, not allowing the worrying thoughts to cloud her mind too much. The sound of a knock at the door echoing through her apartment soon caught her attention and, after putting her final item of clothing into her backpack, Ziva headed through her apartment, pulling open the front door. Her big brown eyes soon caught onto the familiar emeralds of her partner, her breath nearly hitching in his throat in surprise, "I…I thought we were meeting at the airport?" She questioned, finding it was the only thing she could say, the memories of their heated argument soon coming back to the front of her mind.

"You and I both know we need to talk before we leave," Tony commented quietly.

Ziva nodded slightly, stepping aside so that he could come in, "We'd better,"

Stepping inside, Tony quietly closed the door behind him. "Zi, what I really want to say is that I'm sorry." He knew it was the obvious response, but something he sincerely meant, "I said a lot of things that I didn't mean last night, and I don't want that to affect the future we could have."

Turning to face Tony, Ziva looked to the ground before gathering the courage to allow her eyes to meet with his, "You lied to me, Tony," Ziva reiterated, still a sense of hurt in her voice.

Tony sighed softly, "I know, Zi, I know and I know I shouldn't have. I just didn't want to stress you out before the appointment but you're right, I should have told you. Just with all the stuff we have to sort out, I thought it'd be best not to say anything but now I know that that was the wrong decision," Taking a baby step forward, Tony gently took her hand into his own as his eyes caught a hold over her own. "We're having a baby, Zi,"

"You don't say…" Ziva mumbled beneath her breath.

"I know, still hasn't quite set in, but remember what I said to you in that elevator all those weeks ago? I said that I'd stand by you, no matter what happened. So what if we had an argument last night, it doesn't change a thing for me. Maybe you were right last night, that if this had happened any time before, maybe I would have been a jerk and ran a mile but not with you, Zi. That's never even entered my mind,"

Ziva slowly felt her angered emotions melt away, his words gradually setting her mind at ease. "Why?" It had been a question which she had asked the previous night, one which still remained unanswered. She had gone over all the possibilities, whether it was positive or negative, she had gone over each of them meticulously.

As soon as the question was vocalised, Tony knew exactly what was coming next. The answer had been going round and round in his mind all night, the words echoing endlessly. "Because…" he started, a slow breath escaping his lips as his soft sea-green eyes met with her own brown orbs, "Because I love you,"

Ziva felt her heart nearly skip a few beats upon hearing his reasoning. Not once had that reason came into her head when she had been pondering it over, and to hear it vocalised sincerely made a ball of emotion gather in her throat. Whether it was out of surprise, relief, mutual feelings, she didn't know. "What?" she stuttered, gazing up at him in utter shock.

"I love you," He repeated, actually saying it making the three words hit home. "These three little words are all that I have to describe this whole situation. You and I have known each other for, what, nearly six years now and we know more about one another than I ever thought we would. I know your past, your deepest fear…heck, I even know the secret ingredient to your recipe. Everything about you, I love and now that you are carrying our baby, I can't even begin to describe how much that means for me, for us and for our little one,"

Hearing his gentle words caused salty tears to well up before her chestnut eyes, threatening to fall. Reaching up a hand, Ziva quickly wiped them away before returning her attention to her partner, his words still echoing in her ears, "I…I love you too, Tony…" she managed to say, her voice much softer than usual. "I..I'm so sorry for what I said yesterday, I really am. I just.." It was all she could say before the tears slowly fell onto her cheeks, the emotions overwhelming her briefly.

Pulling her gently into his embrace, Tony wrapped his arms around her slender body, pressing a kiss to her temple, "Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't worry about, I know. That was yesterday and it's all in the past now, right?"

Slowly nodding, Ziva pulled back a fraction, still maintaining as much contact as she could as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Right,"

"But there's still one thing left to do before we leave," Tony mentioned, quietly, not wanting to ruin their moment. "We still have to…"

"…Tell Gibbs and McGee," Ziva finished, nodding her head softly in agreement. Glancing down for a brief moment, she rested her hand back over her slightly swelled stomach, "We can tell them at the airport, before we depart. As for when we get there, that is a different story,"

A small smile crept across Tony's lips, placing his hand to cover her own, "Together, we'll tell them."


	12. It's What Must Be Done

"_Flight 951 to Tel Aviv is now boarding. Will all passengers please make their way to Gate 7." _The female voice over the tannoy echoed throughout the airport, alerting passengers to the urgent message.

"That's us," Tony said quietly, now weaving his way through the numerous amounts of people who wandered about the airport, his partner by his side. After patching things up at Ziva's apartment, the air between them seemed to have calmed, quite different to the raging storm-like atmosphere which had been there previously. With his overseas bag, containing all the essentials, slung over his right shoulder, Tony glanced around the enormous space as he tried to find the arranged meeting space for the teams rendezvous.

"We are going to miss the flight, Tony," Ziva said rather questionably, trying to keep up with her partner as he aimlessly turned in all different directions.

Glancing over his shoulder, Tony laughed lightly, "Nah, we won't. We got plenty of time, don't worry about it,"

Rolling her eyes, Ziva softly shook her head, "Well, if you keep going that way, we will definitely miss the flight," Grabbing his hand, she pulled him in the correct direction, her knowledge of the airport's layout being slightly more accurate, "They're over here,"

"I knew that," Tony replied confidently, though the tone of his voice was definitely not convincing enough. "I was just..you know, showing you around,"

Looking up at him, the look in her chocolate eyes clearly not impressed with his excuse, "That's my job for when we get to Tel Aviv," She remarked, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips in an almost playful way.

Discretely leaning down, Tony placed a soft kiss to her jaw, whispering, "I look forward to it," Being in Tel Aviv would certainly be painful, emotionally that was. The last time the team had visited the foreign country, they'd left one member behind and just a few months later had feared her dead. The Israeli city held many a memory, some Tony didn't wish to remember, some he hoped wouldn't be brought back up. Not only would the distant memories be an issue, but if NCIS were to cross paths with Mossad, that was a whole different picture. It was going to be one thing telling Gibbs about their situation, but the Director of Mossad? That was one conversation, or even idea, which Tony had failed to discuss with Ziva, one which would have to be resolved before they spent too long on the hot Israeli soil.

"You're late, DiNozzo!" Gibbs called as the two other agents came into his line of sight.

Lightly jogging up to join Gibbs and McGee, Tony smiled one of his classic DiNozzo smiles, one which would usually charm anybody but, as he knew all too well, it took more than his smile to charm Gibbs, "Yeah, I have to give Ziva a lift here and, uh, the traffic was kinda bad getting here, and then you know how big this place is and we just kinda…shutting up, Boss," Tony soon cut his explanation short, the look Gibbs was giving him was one of 'Shut up, or it's a head slap'.

"Well, get your asses to Gate 7…unless you want paperwork duty here," Gibbs said in his usual monotone voice, starting to turn on his heel before he too was cut short of his action.

Ziva took a small step forward before she spoke, "Actually, Gibbs, can Tony and I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, the mere words of the question and the realisation of what was coming next sending her heart into a slightly faster beat.

The senior agent looked between Tony and Ziva before nodding once, indicating he could spare a minute for whatever they needed to tell him. "Well?"

The Israeli woman briefly glanced up to her partner, her eyes a complete mix of emotion. She lightly bit the inside of her lip, feeling like her stomach was doing flips with nerves. Gibbs was unpredictable at the easiest of times, but now it was near impossible. "Gibbs…" Ziva started, her gaze soon lifting from her partner to focus on their boss in front of them, "Tony and I…Well, for the past few weeks, months even, we have been…seeing each other, you would say,"

Flicking his steely gaze between the two agents during their confession, Gibbs barely reacted to the news, using a simple reminder of one of his rules, "Rule twelve?" That particular rule had been in place for a long time, one of the originals, mainly for his personal use, but applying it to his employees hadn't seemed to have had the same effect.

"I know, Boss, but it isn't quite as simple as that," Tony jumped in, quickly forming his next sentence in his mind so that it wouldn't sound quite so unprofessional. It had to be quick, like ripping off a band aid, or taking a tablet, only he knew that the reaction wasn't going to be quite the same. "Ziva's pregnant, Boss,"

As stoic as he usually was, Gibbs could not help the slight shocked expression which appeared on his features at the revelation, the news coming completely out of the blue. His blue eyes turned to Ziva, looking at her questionably, "This true?"

Only able to nod in confirmation, Ziva's eyes lowered, ready for the inevitable yelling and discipline which was to follow. In a weird sense, it felt like she was fifteen years old again, being disciplined by her father for not doing something correctly during training or causing trouble with the other officers. Despite her presumptions as to what Gibbs' reaction would be, the raised voice never came, only the complete opposite.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order then," Gibbs responded, a smile creeping over his lips as he gently pulled Ziva into a fatherly embrace. Despite his rules and expectations, Gibbs was never one to yell at what was a part of life. Of course, since it was two partners, there would be things he would have to discuss but that could wait. After embracing Ziva and giving Tony a firm, congratulatory handshake, he looked between the couple, "We're gonna miss the flight just standin' here…" He mentioned, almost in a joking fashion.

Briefly glancing up to Tony, Ziva couldn't deny the smile which effortlessly danced across her lips. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to glisten with surprise and relief as she moved past the two men, heading to catch up with McGee on the way to their flight.

Just as tony took a step forward to follow the trail of his partner, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, his attention immediately focusing on his boss. This, is what he should have expected, "Boss?"

"You know what I have to do, right?" Gibbs asked, a subtle hint of pain in his tone. He knew the rules and regulations, the ones which were not set down by him, and as much as it pained him to even consider it, it was something he had to do.

The senior agent nodded slightly, aware of the procedure which was to follow, "I know. Just, don't go too harsh. This wasn't her fault, Boss, and I can't bear to see her hurt. I know she's been worried about this trip, and I don't blame her, but I know you have no choice whilst we're out there."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, taking the Italian's words into consideration, "You're a good Agent, DiNozzo, as is Ziva, I can only afford to lose one of you because of this,"


	13. Shalom

The hot, humid, Israeli air hit the NCIS agents like a fist as they stepped off the plane. Unfortunately, this was a feeling which was all too familiar for some. Despite it being nearly one in the morning, the relentless Middle Eastern heat never failed to show itself, a prominent contrast to the air-conditioned plane the four had just been on for the past eleven hours. Thankfully, most of them had been able to catch at least an hour of sleep; something which was going to be more than essential during their time away from home.

After retrieving their luggage and going through the strict security, Gibbs led his team through the airport, which almost seemed bigger than the previous time, heading outside to the front of Ben-Gurion. As they had expected, Aaronov, Tony's new best friend for the coming weeks, was waiting to welcome the American team to the country. He stood at around 6ft, dark brown hair to match his eyes. A plain white T-shirt covered his top half, accenting his muscular build and olive skin, whilst he wore sandy coloured cargo pants on the bottom. As the NCIS agents approached him, Michael extended his hand towards Gibbs, whom he had singled as the team's leader, "Boker tov. You must be Special Agent Gibbs," His accent was certainly much more profound than Ziva's had ever been.

"Correct. Agents McGee, David and DiNozzo," Gibbs replied as he shook Michael's hand, introducing the members of his team respectively.

One name in particular caught Aaronov's attention, his eyes focusing on the only female in the group, "Long time, no see, Ziva,"

Ziva's tired eyes looked up to the man before her, his voice instant recognisable. With a smile gracing her lips, she wrapped her around Michael's neck, pulling the taller into a happy, friendly embrace, a small smile slipping past her lips, "Too long,"

"Shalom, tataleh," He whispered, using a pet name he had used in the past.

Looking from the outside with slight confusion, mixed with a small amount of jealousy, Tony asked the questioned which he was sure everyone else was thinking, "You guys know each other?"

Pulling out of their embrace, Ziva turned to Tony, the corners of her lips still pulled up into a smile, "Of course. Michael was my training partner when I was just an officer here,"

"More like, I was the guy Ziva beat up as part of her training," Michael joked. "Well, I'd better get you guys to your rooms. We have managed to secure you each a room on our campus. Not exactly luxury, but they're pretty decent,"

_Pretty decent._ After heading down a long corridor, the walls painted white and illuminated by the light only from the rooms on each side, Tony finally found his room. Using the key he had been given, he unlocked the door, he stepped inside and threw his bag onto the bed which was in the centre of the room. Michael certainly hadn't been wrong; the walls were a sandy colour inside, differing from the walls outside, windows overlooking the desert-like environment and the bed was like sitting on a cloud. A surprise, that was for sure.

Letting out a slow breath, Tony ran his fingers through his hair, his emerald eyes surveying the view. This was going to be his new home for the next however many weeks, and however much Tony liked how his job took him all over the place, he was definitely much more comfortable back home. This place held far too many memories, personal and professional. Just over the sea was the country where he had thought he'd never see his partner, now the mother of his child, alive again. Regardless of how much therapy the team had gone through, that thought still scared him. In fact, although he didn't like to admit it, the whole situation scared him. There had been so many twists and turns, it was hard to keep up, and the newest bend had got him thinking even more. It wasn't the fact that Ziva and Michael had a history, or the fact that they were clearly close, but there was just something about it which bugged him.

As if adding fuel to the fire wasn't enough, his own personal situation with Ziva was going to be on its own rollercoaster. Aside from the argument the two had had, and thankfully moved past, their relationship had been perfect, like the ones you only read about in books. At first, when Ziva had told him fourteen weeks ago that she was pregnant, he had honestly thought that one of them would have to lose their jobs, or that they wouldn't be able to sustain a healthy relationship, especially with their jobs being so unpredictable. Now, after nearly four months, Tony knew that that worry had been completely irrelevant. Even with such a huge commitment so early on, they'd worked together to make sure their relationship wasn't affected by their jobs and the unexpected pregnant, not allowing any unnecessary drama to rule over their relationship.

A knock at the door brought Tony back to reality, his thoughts dissolving into thin air for the time being. Heading over to the door, he pulled it open, smiling gently as he stepped aside to let his partner in, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Ziva chuckled softly, "Jeez, _Dad,_ I didn't know I had a curfew," she teased sarcastically, leaning up on her tip toes as she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Tony playfully rolled his eyes, returning the kiss, "Whatever. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see you, help you move in, as it were, but it looks as if unpacking isn't the first thing on your mind," Her eyes glanced over his shoulder to the bag on the bed before her gaze returned to meet his eyes.

Lightly, Tony traced his fingertips along her waist, his eyes locked onto hers, "Too early in the morning. But just seeing you is so much better," He smiled, kissing her lips once again.

Hooking her arms around his neck, Ziva leaned up as she returned the kiss. After merely seconds, a smile slipped across her lips as the kiss deepened, their bodies softly pressed against one another's. Her fingers pushed softly through his hair before lightly tracing over the back of his neck. She could feel her heart racing, memories of that night they first slept together coming flooding back. The taste of his lips was mesmerising, completely unique. She felt her back up against the wall by the door, Tony's chest now pressed against her own as their lips moved effortlessly against her own. Her fingers slid to the bottom of his shirt, softly brushing against the skin of his abdomen as she pushed the shirt up his torso, lifting it over his head before tossing it to the side. In the brief loss of contact between their lips, she took the opportunity to regain some air before their lips passionately met once again, her hands exploring his chest and shoulders.

Before the couple knew it, clothes lay in a scattered line on the floor, leading to the bed upon which their naked bodies lay, tangled in between the sheets. Tony's arm lay gently around Ziva's shoulders, lightly twirling her hair between his fingers as he pressed a kiss to her temple. There was no greater feeling than lying in bed with Ziva, the woman he loved, knowing that everything was going to be okay. It was moments like these when all their worries just seemed to melt away, like they didn't exist. Perhaps, when these weeks were over, things would go back to normal and they could be a real family, do all the things that expectant parents should do. That was what they were looking forward to, getting rid of all the stigma associated with being partners and expecting a baby.

"What are you thinking?" Ziva asked, breaking the silence as she looked up at him, comfortably snuggling into his warm embrace.

Tony let out a slow breath, looking down to Ziva, "Just how much I can't wait to get back home, do all the things we still have to do," He smiled, gently kissing her cheek, "And how much I love you,"

Ziva chuckled softly, resting her hand on his chest, "I love you too," Lightly she trailed kisses over his bicep, smiling contently, "Laila tov, Tony," she whispered softly, her eyes closing as she lay happily in his arms.

The small amount of Hebrew he had managed to pick up over the years allowed him to translate, a smile dancing over his lips as his eyes closed too, "Buonanotte,"


	14. Promise Me

There seemed to be no such thing as a cool night in Israel, but despite the humidity, Tony pulled on a T-shirt as he headed out of his room, leaving his partner to her peaceful, much needed sleep. Long flights never went down well with him, and his sleeping pattern was definitely affected the worst. Whether it was solely due to the flight or the fact that he had a lot on his mind, he didn't know and he didn't want to dwell on it, but perhaps he could grab a moment or two to take a walk and hopefully clear his head. It was only half five in the morning, but already the country was well awake.

"I thought that was against the rules," Michael's voice sliced through the early morning silence like a knife through butter. The Israeli looked like he had been awake for hours, but not by bags under his eyes or a tired expression, in fact he looked quite awake, probably fuelled by caffeine. He had stood behind the corner, choosing to speak just as he heard the NCIS agent approach.

The sudden voice nearly caused Tony to jump out of his skin, his hand instinctively going to cover his heart, "_Jeez_! Scare a guy, why don't ya?" In a way, it was hardly reassuring that the voice belonged to Michael; he still didn't trust the guy and lurking around at half five in the morning wasn't helping his case. "What's against what rules?"

"Sleeping with your partner. Surely that is forbidden somewhere, right?" Michael lifted his gaze from the floor, eager to see the other man's reaction to what he had said. Purposefully he had said it as if it was the most casual thing in the world, like it was even a surprise that he knew, but inside he had all sorts of plans of what he could now do with this kind of knowledge.

_How on Earth did he know?_ It had been hard keeping it from Gibbs for three months, and yet they had only been in Israel a matter of hours and already their secret was out? Was it just Michael who knew? Already, Tony had so many questions, but he couldn't just surrender there and then, not even bothering to protest. He lightly shook his head, pretending to laugh, "You think Ziva and I are sleeping together? Come on, man, I know she's hot and all but like you said, it's against the rules. Trying to ignore the situation, Tony carried on a few strides down the hallway.

"So, when were you going to tell us that she's pregnant?" Again, the use of a casual and care-free tone always got the reaction he was searching for. And, this time, he got it.

Tony stopped in his tracks, his mind suddenly running at a hundred miles an hour with questions. He spun on his heel, looking to Michael, reading his expression. Tony knew that he couldn't pretend now. Lying about sleeping with somebody wasn't that big a deal, but there was no way he could lie to Michael, a clearly respected officer, about Ziva being pregnant. Consequences were unthinkable. "How do you know that?"

Michael couldn't help but laugh. What a pathetic attempt. He paced over to where the American stood, almost grinning, "Oh, come on, DiNozzo. You think I didn't notice her bump when we met earlier? What, about eighteen weeks, right?"

"Seventeen," Tony corrected, though there wasn't really much point now.

Snorting, Michael shook his head, "Shame, really. Ziva's a great girl, I'm sure she'll be a great mom too, but you? I'm not so sure. I've heard a lot about you, DiNozzo, we all have. Last I heard, you put bullets through her boyfriend, Rivkin? Don't blame you, that guy was an ass, but not sure that's a good example."

"Self-defence," Tony replied simply, starting to feel a slow build-up of frustration. "And I'll do the same to you if you don't back off,"

"I'm sure you would. Seems like you're quite the jealous type, so I'll give you a little test." Michael shifted on his feet, folding his arms over his well-built chest, "Ziva and I used to date. Well, when I say date, I just mean sleep together. Six years ago, before she left to sort out your little problem, every night we'd meet up and have the most amazing sex, though you'd know all about that." He lightly chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, "Now, Ziva's loyal, she wouldn't go behind your back but me, on the other hand, I would. All you two have to do is argue some time and all I have to do is swoop in and…"

Tony didn't even allow the Israeli the pleasure of finishing his sentence. He grabbed fists of Michael's shirt, throwing him against the nearest wall. The sound of his body colliding against the concrete was actually quite satisfying, but the anger Tony felt was still boiling high, "If you even _dare_ go near Ziva, I'll do a lot worse than put bullets in your chest," His voice raised, saturated with anger and frustration.

"Ooh, tough guy now? Just remember who Ziva's father is and that I report directly to him. I'm pretty sure his opinion of you is already pretty low and if he were to learn that you knocked up his daughter, well, I don't think he will be very happy. Though he has always wanted a grandson; somebody to carry on working here when he's too old. Yeah, that bit he might be happy with,"

His grip tightened on Michael's shirt, his fists pushing into Michael's chest, "My child will not be cannon fodder for the Director to dictate. He won't have a thing to do with my son or daughter's life. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that he, no matter how powerful he thinks he is, will not interfere with mine, Ziva's or our child's life. You got that?" By now, Tony was pretty much yelling. The subject of his child was definitely sensitive, as was the subject of his relationship and if anyone even thought they were going to dictate it because of some tradition or power, he'd tell them otherwise.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed, walking quickly over to where the two men stood. The sound of raised voices had attracted her attention, waking her from her sleep, and when she recognised the two voices, she had to investigate. Since all of her belongings and clothes were in her own room, she had had to settle for one of Tony's shirts which swamped her smaller frame, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He replied, sounding sharper than he had intended.

Lightly, she rested her hand on Tony's arm, "Let him go,"

Reluctantly, he released his grip on Michael's shirt, adding a small shove as he did.

"What on Earth are you two fighting about?" Her voice sounded tired, possibly due to the early hour combined with the stresses of needing far more rest than usual.

Tony sensed the tone, instantly feeling guilty. He always hated it when he let his temper get the better of him; it never resulted in anything good. He knew Ziva shouldn't be having to sort out fights like they were two eight year olds, especially in her condition, "Nothing. Michael here was just leaving."

Ziva sighed, briefly closing her eyes before looking to Michael, "Rayon tov," _Good idea._

Michael rolled his eyes, glancing to Tony with a small grin before looking back to Ziva, his grin turning into a smile, "Mazel tov," he said, giving a knowing look before turning, heading down the corridor.

Tony scoffed, shaking his head as he walked passed Ziva, his usual b right gaze glued to the floor beneath his feet. Now, he just felt awful; this was totally unfair on Ziva.

"Uh Tony," Ziva lightly jogged up to him, standing firmly in his path, arms folded stubbornly over her chest, "You're going to tell me what happened."

"Zi, please, just drop it. You should be resting and not dealing with petty little fights," His eyes moved easily to hers.

"That was not a petty fight. We have been here less than a day and you already assaulted the guy we're supposed to be working with. What happened?"

There was no use in arguing, it'd only make things worse than they already were. "He…told me about you guys. You know, what you were before you left six years ago. Your 'fling', I suppose," He kept the main fact as to why it got so out of hand quiet for now.

Letting out a slow breath, Ziva pinched the bridge of her nose, the beginnings of a headache coming on, "That was in the past. So this is what, jealousy?"

"No…well, maybe a little. He just made some snide comments about you and I and that he's gonna try and break us up and then hell…ugh, just the thought of him with his hands all over you made me lose it a little,"

"You know that will never happen," Ziva lightly took his hand, placing it on her stomach, "It's just you, me and this little one here,"

Her words caused tony to smile gently, his fingertips lightly tracing over her stomach as his eyes met hers, "I know. The problem is that Michael knows that too. He knows about us and he knows you're pregnant, pretty much to the week. I don't know if he was bluffing, but if not, then I'm sure your father will know by the end of the week too,"

Habitually, Ziva pulled her lower lip between her teeth, a way of keeping herself calm. Matters concerning her father were rarely ever calm. It'd been hard keeping their secret from Gibbs, a man she looked up to as a father, but keeping it from her real father was a different story. Not only was their situation a breach of the religious rules she had been raised to respect, but it also broke numerous unwritten rules her father expected from his daughter, "He will not take it lightly, "

"Yeah, I know," Tony sighed softly, bringing his free hand up, cupping her cheek in his palm, "Just try not to worry. Don't listen to what they say. No doubt they'll be insulting you, me, our child, everything but just don't listen. You just have to promise me one thing."

"What?" Ziva asked.

"That you'll come home,"

The words almost stung, but Ziva knew that that fear was true. The last time, she hadn't gone back and, yes, she did now consider America to be her home. Although it didn't hold childhood memories or important mile stones like graduation, it was where she felt safe, where she could be with those closest to her and where she would raise her family with the man she loved. Her eyes threatening tears, she flung her arms around Tony, hugging him as if he would just slip away at any moment, "I promise," she whispered, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

His arms circles around her waist as he kissed her temple, "It'll be alright. I love you and I love our baby, that's all that matters. We have each other and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you two are safe. That is my promise."


	15. A Break

"So what now?" Tony asked as he took a seat opposite McGee. The American team had been assigned a small room on campus where they could meet and discuss the progress of the case. It was finely equipped; a white board, internet access and all the intelligence files they could ever need. It was always going to be different from the cosy, comfortable office the agents were used to back in the States, but this was on a fine level.

"Michael is bringing over the forms from head office, apparently they got loads on this Noam guy," McGee answered.

"Loads indeed, Agent McGee," Michael said in his cheery tone of voice as he strolled into the room, like lion strolling through the pride. In his hand was a thick file, the pages nearly bursting out of its sandy coloured cover. Most of it was written in Hebrew but the odd bit of English stuck out on files which had been used internationally. Dumping the file on the table, Michael spread out the various sections so that the agents could all have a view. Turning, he glanced at the white board which was already full of writing in black marker pen, linking names to pictures, important information circled in a different colour and a list of things they still had yet to do. _Impressive._ Michael thought to himself briefly before taking his stance before the team of American agents, "Noam Ben-Zvi was, as all Israeli men are, enlisted to the Tzva Hahagana Le'Yisrael, when he was eighteen years old."

"English, if you don't mind," Tony asked firmly, not even giving Michael the satisfaction of eye contact. The American agent was still constantly thinking about the conflict the two men had had earlier that morning, and what possible consequences could come from it. He was powerless against Michael, the Israeli had far more contacts on this side of the world, ones which out ranked Tony to the highest degree. Not only that, but Michael also had that knowledge of what was going on between him and Ziva, and more importantly that they were expecting a child and with that kind of knowledge, he had the upper hand.

"The IDF, Tony," Ziva interjected, glancing between the two men, "There are three compulsory years men have to serve when they turn eighteen,"

Michael nodded before returning to where he had been interrupted, "Ben-Zvi was a highly skilled officer so he stayed on. He showed excellent potential, both as a leader and officer."

"Is he still under your control?" Tony asked, interrupting once more. He was almost hoping he was; that way, Michael would also be shown in a darker light and being so rude and firm towards him wouldn't look so out of the ordinary.

Digging a file out of the folder he had brought in, Michael shook his head, "Noam left just over a year ago after he was found selling and distributing high profile information. After that, he left and went his own way,"

"And you just forgot him?"

"No one likes people who sell personal information, DiNozzo. Would you like it if I told everyone your secret?" Michael proposed, giving a small, inane grin as his eyebrows rose slightly, knowing that Tony knew exactly what he meant. Seeing the slightly defeated look from Tony, Michael continued, "Last we heard, Noam was up in Haifa, laying low."

McGee, having flicked through the file he had been given at the start of the conference, looked up, "So, he might not even be here? We're in the wrong city?"

Michael let out a breath, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "He left more than twelve months ago, Agent McGee; he could be anywhere by now. And if he's able to fly to the US and then vanish, I'm telling you that he's skilled."

"Where's his personnel file?" Ziva asked, realising that it was not in the intel they had been given. "Every officer must have one and since we need to know where he is, can we not have his?"

Michael rested the palms of his hands on the table, leaning forward ever so slightly, "You, of all people, will be familiar with the release of personnel files, Ziva. Mossad cannot release personal information just like that,"

Tony rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "This guy is a murder suspect. I'm sure even the great and mighty Mossad can make exceptions,"

Ziva sent Tony a look, one which clearly expressed that he was toeing the line between being professionally concerned and just arrogant. She knew that their earlier dealings with Michael had shaken him, it had had that effect on her too, but she was able to control her emotions much easier than Tony could. Having that personal element now affecting their case was going to be hard to manage, but those thoughts just had to be pushed aside, "I'm sure my father will be persuaded to let this one slide, Michael. Ask him first, and then let me know."

Michael was about to protest but sensed the fact that he had overstayed his welcome, the information he had given had clearly not been what the Agents had been hoping for. "I will get back to you then." He gave the agents around the table a final glance, his dark eyes lingering on Ziva for slightly longer before turning on his heel, exiting the room.

Tony released a breath he hadn't realised he had even been holding, turning to face Gibbs, "So we're up and leaving again? I've heard Haifa is a lovely spot this time of year," He half joked, giving that typical DiNozzo smile.

Gibbs looked through the file which lay on the table in front of him, weighing up the options he had, "McGee and I will go to Haifa, talk to the offices of IDF there. You and Ziva can stay here and find out all you can,"

Ziva nodded, "It is possible he could have transferred to the Navy, in which case, Haifa is the place he would be. Selling information is serious and I highly doubt he would have been able to transfer to another force, but it is possible. Then again, he could now be working alone," She explained, offering all the possibilities.

Gibbs stood, gathering the file together, "McGee and I will head up to Haifa. Check in again at five," With that, Gibbs left the room, soon followed by the junior agent, leaving the DiNozzo and David in a sea of paperwork, with only their notes on the whiteboard to keep them company.

"Well this is gonna be a blast…" Tony muttered sarcastically, leaning back in his seat, his hands resting on the table. It felt like they were running around in circles, where once they made one step towards progress, they took two steps back. It was nearly reflective of his relationship with Ziva, the pressure starting show itself. Getting other people involved in a relationship was never a good idea, but now even they couldn't prevent that inevitability.

Ziva lightly placed her hand over his own, getting him to look at her, their eyes connecting, "You have to forget what happened." She said softly, knowing full well that it could be an empty sentence.

"How am I supposed to do that, hm? He threatened you and our baby, and I'm just supposed to forget that?" Tony replied, linking his fingers through her own.

Ziva shook her head, lightly brushing her thumb over his knuckles, "I know it's hard, but we're going to be fine. It's just…if you keep being like this towards Michael, we're never going to get anywhere with this case. I know how much this means to you, Tony, I really do and I can promise that everything will be fine." She glanced down briefly, placing her free hand over her bump, a smile pulling at her lips, "Tomorrow, I have an appointment booked and, although I'm only seventeen weeks gone, we might be able to find out the sex of the baby and if you could come with me, I want you to see who we're doing this for. Our little boy or girl, your son or daughter."

Tony couldn't deny the smile which danced across his lips, giving Ziva's hand a gentle squeeze, "Of course I'll come with you, why wouldn't I? I know that I'm being a little bit of a jerk, but that's only because I want to protect you guys. This Michael guy is just trying to stir things up and, I'll admit it is working slightly,"

Ziva moved her hands to cup his cheeks in her palms, her soft eyes searching his own, "You're going to get hurt, Tony. You're messing people who can do, and will do, so many things to mess with you and us, even our child. Please, Tony, just forget what Michael said," She was practically begging him by now, her eyes warm yet sincere with her concern. Ziva knew that she could usually hide her emotions well, not allowing anyone to know what she was feeling, but with Tony it was a completely different story. This was the kind of situation where she couldn't hide behind the façade of her past and upbringing to be a strong woman who didn't show anything. Just the mere thought of Tony getting hurt because of the situation they were in made her scared, worried. She knew full well what Michael was going to do with the information he had and, although she could do nothing about it except accept it, but the inevitability was just lingering there, waiting to take them by surprise.


	16. Looking Beyond The Horizon

The sky was beginning to fade from a gorgeous, bright blue to a warm orange as the evening drew closer and the sun began its descent beneath the horizon, casting out the few last rays of the day. The soft breeze which blew across the country carried a comforting coolness, a nice difference to the usual stifling heat of the day. It really was quite beautiful, especially from where Tony was sitting, just in a rather secluded slot of land just a stone's throw away from where they were staying.

Both he and Ziva had spent nearly the entire day questioning different officers who had been there whilst Ben-Zvi had also been stationed at the same place, but unfortunately nothing of any use had come up. Most had told the same old story, that Noam Ben-Zvi was a good officer but cocky and more than over confident in himself and that it wasn't surprising that he had turned against the organisation. For the past hour or so, he had taken a short walk to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the camp, having taken the paperwork and notes with him just so he was able to continue working for a little while longer. The day had been long, but he knew if he worked until his eyes were drooping, at least then he would be in chance with a decent night's sleep.

His soft emerald eyes scanned the printed words in front of him, most of them becoming so monotonous that they alone could send him to sleep. Tony had lost track of time a long time ago, probably only half an hour after he had left Ziva in their room for a light sleep. It was quiet, peaceful at the least and it seemed like it had been the only time on their whole trip so far where he could have some time to himself without the worry that anyone would come and interrupt his train of thought. Tony knew that the amount of thoughts in his mind was going to hinder him slightly, but he was starting to wonder whether or not he'd made the right choices. It was times like these, where everything could be ruined in one moment, where he reconsidered the past.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder, quickly turning round to see who it was. His frightened expression softened instantly as he saw Ziva standing behind him, a tired smile on her lips, "Hey you,"

Ziva gave a light chuckle, sitting down beside him, "I did not mean to scare you," Her head casually fell onto his shoulder as Ziva's soft brown eyes silently surveyed the view before them, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Tony nodded softly in agreement, "Certainly is," As he spoke, his eyes flicked to his side, focusing on Ziva's slender body beside him, "As are you,"

Looking up to him, Ziva's cheeks visibly took a slight shade of pink at the compliment but she simply nuzzled closer to him, sighing in content. "What have you been doing out here all this time?"

"Working," Tony replied simply, glancing back down to the papers surrounding him, "Well, trying to work,"

"Something on your mind?" Ziva questioned curiously.

Tony lightly shook his head, pushing those thoughts out of his mind for now, "Just…it's been a busy day, and we still have lots to do. Not just on this case, but also for you and I," He gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "I guess I just needed some time to think,"

"Well, I actually wanted to ask you something. Maybe it will take your mind off things for a little while," Ziva suggested, huddling closer to Tony's warm body as a cool breeze swept through the air. Although the climate was usually unbearably hot, when the nights drew in, the temperature dropped dramatically. _Perhaps wearing only a baggy t-shirt and shorts wasn't such a good idea_, Ziva thought to herself.

Tony looked to Ziva, resting his arm around her shoulders in order to keep her warm, "Oh yeah? What's that then?"

The Israeli's eyes dropped for a moment as a warm smile pulled at her lips, a gentle hand resting over her stomach which was concealed by thin t-shirt material. Slowly, her eyes returned up to meet Tony's, "Have you thought of any names yet? I know it is early, but I was just wondering,"

A small yet happy chuckle slipped past Tony's lips as he titled his head to the side in thought, "Well, I hadn't really thought about it too much. Only a few little ideas,"

"And?" Ziva asked eagerly, her smile easily broadening.

"I guess…I like Daniel for a boy, obviously, but then when it came to a girl's name, I just can't think." Tony suggested.

Ziva smiled gently, feeling quite emotional hearing Tony talk so happily about their child, "Daniel DiNozzo…perfect. It's Hebrew too," She added.

"See, I totally knew that!" Tony said, pretending that that had been his intention all along. It only lasted seconds before he burst out laughing, knowing that pretention had been blown, "Well, we gotta keep with our heritage, right?"

Ziva chuckled, nodding, "It would be nice to. And, if that is what you would like, then the girl's name should be Italian, yes? So what about…Arianna?"

"Si, si! Bella!" Tony said in his best Italian accent, grinning his infamous DiNozzo smile. It was still hard to believe that he, Anthony DiNozzo, was sat in the middle of Israel with his partner discussing baby names for _their_ baby. It was unreal and yet he savoured every single minute, every thought, ever appointment; he was simply the most excited expectant father ever.

"And by tomorrow evening, we will know if it's Daniel or Arianna," Ziva said softly, letting out a content breath. She shivered lightly, shifting slightly from where she was sitting, "It's freezing out here, so I'm going to head back. You coming?"

Tony nodded slightly, swiftly moving to his feet as he collected the files into his right hand. He hadn't brought many out, so it was easy to carry in just one hand. He offered his left to Ziva, a warm smile gracing his lips.

Ziva reached up her hand, slipping it softly into Tony's as she used his body to pull herself up. Suddenly, Ziva stopped herself when she was only half way up, her hand going quickly to her stomach. Her eyes closed briefly as she attempted to figure out what this new feeling was.

Tony, of course, flew to his knee, offering his body weight as support, "You okay, Ziva?"

"I…I don't know. Something just felt weird,"

"Good weird or bad weird?" Tony asked, clearly concerned. His eyes watched her carefully, scanning her expression.

A small yet nervous smile tugged at Ziva's lips as she slowly stood up straight, her hand still covering a part of her bump, "Good weird," She said confidently, "I think our baby decided to say hello,"

Tony's brow knitted together in confusion as he looked up at Ziva from where he still knelt, "What do you mean?"

With the brightest smile possible, Ziva took Tony's hand, placing it over her stomach, waiting just a few seconds. She lightly pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she felt the same sensation again, one she now knew was a kick.

Tony's eyes shone with surprise as he felt that tiny little kick beneath his palm, his bright green eyes instantly looking up to meet Ziva's, "Oh my God…" He whispered in awe, "Our baby's moving already?"

"Since when have DiNozzo's ever been able to keep still?" Ziva joked, laughing softly in a way which made her chocolate brown eyes sparkle.

The smile dancing across Tony's lips grew even further as he stood, keeping his hand over her bump, "Only five more months, and we'll finally be able to meet this little one," He leaned down, softly pressing a kiss to her lips, "I love you,"

"I love you too," Ziva said, barely above the level of a whisper. Her free hand slipped into Tony's entwining their fingers together. With a small spring in their step, both Ziva and Tony walked hand-in-hand back towards where they were staying, navigating the various corridors, passing a few officers who were still up and about despite the late hour, but the couple didn't care who saw them.

Unbeknownst to the happy couple was that Michael, the very person they least wanted to see, was one of those officers who enjoyed a late night wander. He had seen everything, nothing slipped past his sharp observation. His earlier attempt at shaking the couple's relationship had worked for a few hours, but this new development had just set back everything he had done earlier. As Michael sauntered through the corridors, he could feel the frustration building, that feeling of failure becoming far too prominent. There was only one thing left he could do.

His pace picked up slightly as he walked the all too familiar path towards the Director's office. Knocking once, he waited until the Director called him in. Twisting the door handle, Michael pushed open the door and stepped inside, "Director. There is something you should know,"


	17. Revelations and Conflicts

Director Eli David – the highest ranked person of Mossad. He was a man with authority and he was never afraid to use it. He treated each individual officer exactly the same, not favouring one over another, including his own children. In the past, "children" had become "child" with only Ziva still alive. The relationship between father and daughter had never been the strongest of bonds, yet Eli was determined to constantly remind Ziva of her place in Israel and also in his family. To the Director, Ziva was not just his daughter, she was an officer too, despite the fact that she had left the secret intelligence organisation a few years ago.

Michael Aaronov stood before the infamous Eli David with his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he built himself up to report his knowledge. He knew that it was what he wanted to do since it would surely create waves of conflict and hopefully split the 'happy couple' up, but having kept this a secret for so long may have been a mistake on his part. All Michael could hope for was that the Director would over look that and only see that his officer was being loyal in reporting such activity. "Director, it's about Ziva," he started, his eyes looking firmly ahead at his boss, "As you are aware, she is in the country on a case about Officer Ben-Zvi. It has come to my attention that this Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva are…somewhat romantically involved with one another."

The Director leaned back in his chair, his expression as stoic as usual. Anthony DiNozzo was a name all too familiar to him, and not in a good way. It had only been a few years since Eli had had his hand around the Italian's neck and if what he thought he was about to hear were true, maybe history was going to repeat itself. "Go on…" He said, knowing full well that there was more to this story than just that.

Michael took a deep breath, "Having found out myself, but also with Agent DiNozzo confirming it, Ziva is also nearly five months pregnant with their child,"

The words were like a slap across the face to Eli, all of his teachings and philosophies just crumbling in a pile of dust. He stood quickly and angrily from his chair, hands firmly resting on the desk before him, "And you are one hundred per cent certain that this is true?" He asked, anger causing a small shake in his voice.

"Unfortunately, yes, Sir. I thought it best to inform you,"

Without a further word, the Director swooped past the officer stood in his office, pulling the door open with some force and stormed down the dimly lit corridor which led from his office, the door closing with an almighty crash against the door frame. Eli could not even begin to imagine what he was going to say, or more importantly do, when he confronted the two but he knew exactly who he blamed.

The sun's rays shone through the bedroom window, casting warm, soft streaks of sunlight through the otherwise dark room. Morning had come round much faster than Tony expected, but when he reached over to his cell phone, which lay on the bedside table, he saw that it was still only 06:00. Groaning in a half-asleep fashion, Tony rolled over on to his side, pressing a lazy kiss to Ziva's cheek, "Morning Sweetcheeks," He whispered softly, his voice slightly huskier than usual.

Ziva nuzzled further into him, pulling the cover up higher over her shoulders, "Nuh uh…not time to get up," She mumbled sluggishly, keeping her eyes closed.

Tony couldn't help but chuckle, "Were gonna be late if you don't get up," he commented, though there was hardly any enthusiasm behind his tone; he didn't want to get up himself. If it were up to him, he'd stay in bed all day long, just with Ziva and his thoughts. In that kind of state, nothing could harm them; they would simply dream and plan their future, forming an imaginary protective bubble around them which nobody, no matter how powerful, could pop. Yes, that was an ideal day. Sadly, he knew that that fantasy couldn't become a reality.

"You're the boss here now…" Ziva mumbled, her eyes still closed in an effort to go back to sleep, "There is no such thing as late,"

"Unfortunately there is, Sweetcheeks. Come on, get your ass out of bed," He leaned over again, kissing her forehead sweetly before climbing out of bed himself. He only managed to pull on a pair of loose-ish jeans before he heard a rather heavy knock, more like pounding, on the door. "I though Gibbs wasn't coming back for a few days?" Tony asked openly, doing up the button on his jeans as he made his way to the door.

The knock was definitely not from Gibbs and this caused Ziva to forget the idea of going back to sleep. She sat up, pushing the cover off herself, adjusting her shirt, "He isn't."

Giving a small shrug of his shoulders, Tony headed to the door nevertheless, pulling it open to reveal who was on the other side. Instantly, he felt his heart tighten, his throat go dry and his protective instincts kick in. The look in Director David's eyes let Tony know instantly that he was not best pleased with something and three guesses as to what. "Oh…director, I-I, uh…" Tony stumbled over his words, not knowing quite what to say.

The Director simply smirked before raising his fist and striking the agent standing before him straight across the side of the face, taking DiNozzo quite by surprise, of course.

"Abba!" Ziva shouted from across the other side of the room, immediately leaping out of bed to try and stop the fight which was inevitably going to unfold before her. "Atsor!"

Gripping his jaw, Tony felt his back slam against the nearest wall, the Director's hands pinning him there by the side of his neck.

"Shteki." Eli spat in reply to his daughter. His attention turned to DiNozzo, his grip increasing ever more. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Tony asked, trying to catch his breath. His eyes looked over the Director's shoulders to Ziva, silently begging her not to get involved.

"Did you knock up my daughter?" Eli yelled, forcing Tony to look back at him.

Ziva took a small step forward, pleading with her father, "Please, abba. Don't…"

"No, I didn't," Tony replied simply, though his voice was a little raspy from the lack of oxygen he was getting, "I think you'll find that Ziva and I are having a baby, I didn't just knock her up," Tony knew that he was being his usual DiNozzo self, but that's who he was and why should he put up a front just because this was the Director?

Eli became even more infuriated, tearing his hand away from Tony's throat long enough for the agent to breathe again, "Don't get cocky with me, DiNozzo. You'll play nice if you know what's best for you,"

Tony couldn't help but chuckle lightly, "Go ahead, make my day," He quoted from the famous film, Dirty Harry, grinning like a child. A small trickle of blood had crept from his nose and Tony only managed to get seconds to wipe it before he received another hit, this time just underneath his ribs.

Ziva attempted to run forwards to protect Tony from the wrath of her father, but was stopped when her father's icy gaze landed on her. Protectively, her hand went to her stomach, only confirming what Eli had thought. "Bevakasha, abba," she whispered in an innocent tone.

"You. Stay there." Eli said coldly, not even acknowledging that she was in fact with child.

"You don't control her any more, ya know?" Tony commented, his hand now covering the place on his abdomen where he had just been hit, "Ziva's not a child, for God's sake. This isn't where you step in and say we can't see each other because it's not what you believe or blah, blah, blah…"

"Tony…" Ziva warned in a concerned voice.

The Italian's eyes lifted to where Ziva stood, offering her a small smile, "We're having a child and there is nothing, absolutely nothing that you can do to stop that. You may be all big and egotistic around here, director, but really, you've got no power over us,"

Eli's eyes narrowed with anger, briefly glancing to outside the door where Michael stood observing everything. Eli took one step closer to Tony, giving the slightly shorter man director eye contact, "The same may be said for you, Agent DiNozzo. You have quite a past, no? Perhaps you and I should have…a little chat, sort things out, hmm?" The director grinned slyly, grabbing Tony by the back of the neck and throwing him out into the corridor where Michael stood, "Take care of him, I'll be back later,"

Somehow Tony didn't think that 'take care' meant providing coffee and a nice breakfast. Pulling himself off the floor, he tried to head back into the room to see Ziva, his eyes almost willing him to do so, but he was forcefully pulled back, "Hey! Get your fucking hands off me, will ya?" He shouted at Michael, attempting to throw him off.

"Drop it, DiNozzo." Michael said sternly, easily over powering the Italian as he dragged him further down the hallway, "I don't think you're going to be seeing Daniel or Arianna for quite sometime," He said with a sinister chuckle.

Tony felt his heart sink as he realised that Michael had been the one who leaked all of this to the Director. "You even dare talk about my child and I swear to God you'll never take another step on this Earth,"

Michael simply rolled his eyes, pulling open a door to an empty room, throwing Tony inside with an extra kick to his torso, "It's over, DiNozzo. Face it, you aint going to win against us," With that, the door slammed shut, leaving the Italian in a room filled with darkness, barring a small window towards the top of a far wall.

A/N: Okay, I know I haven't updated in ageeeees, so here it is. Just to clarify a bit of the Hebrew

Abba – father

Atsor – Stop it!

Shteki – Shut up!


End file.
